When I speak, what do you hear?
by sami.60
Summary: DISCONTINUED, explanation on profile page. Embry Call was your average werewolf...always laughing and joking; always the hidden hero. What happens when one day he meets a girl with as many strange secrets as himself? Note: Do not read if you are allergic to lemons.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note**

So this would be the prologue of my new Twilight story. This time, I need some reviews. (A girl's gotta get her jollies somewhere...) So read and tell me what you think! = )

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or anything associated with Twilight...with the exception of Erin...she's all mine and you can't have her! Okay...on to the story...

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Prologue

_What the hell was I thinking? Could it have been the liquor? Could it have been the way he looked at me with that come-hither glance that I swear made me cream on cue? Could it have been the wind whistling through my hair on the back on his bike or the way he felt, so warm and hard, with my arms wrapped around him as we raced though the wind on that black stretch of tar? I don't know if it was fate, or destiny, or any of that other bullshit. I'm not sure why exactly it happened...All I know is..is that it did. _

_I fell for Embry Call._

_What the hell was I doing? I guess in retrospect it didn't seem like I was doing anything irrevocable at the time. What was it that made me crave her so much I could barely restrain myself from doing something stupid? Was it the night? Was it the way she smelled of strawberries and kiwi? Or could it have been the way she smiled as she took me to places I never knew before? I don't really know what it was. I simply know...it happened. _

_I fell for Erin Kerzaih._


	2. Party in the fish house

**Chapter 1**

**Author's Note**

Okay this first part is to introduce to everyone my 'heroine' (and no, I don't mean the drug) so bear with me, I promise you will understand later on!

**Erin Kerzaih's POV**

"Erin, I swear if **y**ou don't get your butt into this kitchen right this minute I will come into that room, privacy and respect be darned, and you can explain this to me then! Don't make me come in there!"

One would think my mother had just found out how late I came in this morning, or that I had been escorted by the cops when I did, or even found the outfit I had worn to last night's awesome party and the source of my current hangover. One might even understand her tone if one thought she was angry because I had been so drunk last night I couldn't come close to being able to stand up straight. One might even condemn me for those behaviors. Unfortunately one would be in for a serious laugh. Unlike the hypothetical someone, I know that my mother has just received the last paper I would ever want her to see. How do I know this? Why would I want to keep a piece of paper away from the woman who gave me life? Two words. Eleven letters. Curious? Report cards.

Now, don't go getting the wrong idea or anything. I already know I didn't even come close to failing. The only problem is that I happened to turn in a very important paper for a very unimportant class a teensy bit late…and I got an 89. I know, total overreaction, right? That is yet another place where the hypothetical someone would be mistaken. See, this isn't the a-typical mother that drives her four well adapted kids to school and soccer practice in her drab silver mini-van going through life cooking, cleaning, and making lunches for her adoring family like some Martha Stewart clone minus the jail time. Nah see, my mom is one of those workaholic types, the ones so obsessed with their own imperfections that they go through life trying to cover them up in the hopes that no one will notice them. This includes raising the perfect children who hang with almost-perfect friends and attend perfect schools in the perfect home in the perfect neighborhood and on and on and on.

The only problem is that her trying to cover up her imperfections only makes them more obvious to those closest to her.

So back to my mom screaming her head off from the kitchen of our little house in the Makah Rez. She's been trying to cover up the fact that she cusses from us kids since we were old enough to parrot what she said to daddy that I think she doesn't know how to do anything else.

I walk into the kitchen in my tight little denim skirt that ends at mid-thigh with my sleeveless black tank and my knee high black leather boots. "Yes, Mom? Was that you peeling the paint off the walls by any chance?"

Probably not the best time for sarcasm, but whatever; I'm eighteen. It's not like she can threaten to call off the trip to Disneyland anymore.

"Erin Ann Kerzaih, if you don't explain this to me right this second I'll…I'll…I'll do something you will NOT find funny, at all." She says while shaking a piece of paper in my face that I'm going to assume is my report card.

"Well see mom, the little numbers are the grade I got for certain semesters, and the little letters form words that spell the moronic classes I had to sit through for nine months."

"That is not funny!" She says as she slams my grades down and proceeds to pace across the kitchen with jerky movements. "I can't believe you scored so low! How could you do this? I thought I raised you better, Erin. And now you aren't even taking this seriously! Do you realize how this will look on your college applications? Are you punishing me? Is this some kind of phase you're going through? Because if it is I will not have it! You live in my home you go by my rules and I will not have you exhibiting this atrocious behavior."

I stare at her. It was a B. And she's acting like this? I guess that means I won't be borrowing the car for tonight's little shindig.

She's still staring at me like I'm the scum she just scraped off the toe of her expensive but tasteful winter boots.

"I'm sorry I'm so inadequate that I got a B on my report card. I realize this upsets you and I intend to try better next year. I have an extra period so I can retake the class and raise the grade." I tell her this in the monotone I reserve for my mother. I can't believe she doesn't see the sarcasm oozing out of my pores right now, but she doesn't because she's oblivious; she's already handed me my report card and moved on to the next crisis.

"Alright dear, just be sure to do that."

I stand there for a few seconds making sure that's the last of her rant before I say, "Erica, Brooke, and Savannah are going to the movies tonight and they want me to come with them. May I go?"

Really this part is just a formality. She doesn't truly care what I do so long as I don't impede her vision of perfection.

"Of course, dear. Have fun. Tell the girls I said hello."

I snatch my bag from my room and run out the door in case there was something else she wanted to 'discuss', and ring my bestie Erica on her cell, the new touch screen she just got for her birthday.

"Where are you?" Right, no formalities for Erica.

"My mom got the grades today and she freaked. I can't get the car. Backup plan?"

"Over one B? Damn that sucks. I can make Jerry loan me the keys to Dad's old truck. It's not the best of style but if we park a block away no one at the party should notice."

"Sounds good. Pick me up when?"

"Bout half an hour chica. Sorry."

"Well shit I can walk to your place faster. Be there in fifteen. Unless Cameron stopped for a visit today?" I can't help but add that last bit…just to tease Erica about her on again off again boyfriend is my prerogative and I exercise it as often as I can.

"Fine fine. Key's in the regular spot. I'll be in the shower. Grab a bite. That it?"

"That's it. See ya in a bit."

"Mmkay. Bye."

And with that she hangs up. Yup, no formalities for Erica. No sireee.

**Embry Call's POV**

I'm standing with Seth and Jacob, my pack brothers, watching Leah, Seth's sister and pack member, and Paul, also a pack brother, argue about some issue that had managed to piss the both of them off.

"Twenty bucks says Leah phases and kicks Paul's ass." This comes from Quil to my right as he joins us.

"Nah, Paul's more pissed than she is. Granted I don't think she'll let him kick her ass, but I bet he phases first." Jacob says as Leah reaches back and punches him square in the chest, then proceeds to walk away from him. We watch, bemused, as Paul stalks off in the opposite direction.

"And I bet there's a draw. Hey look, I win. Pay up boys." I smile at the looks on their faces.

"Hey guys, there's a party up in Seattle tonight. I just got the invite on my phone. You all coming with?" Jared walks toward us as he shares this bit of information. He, like the rest of us, is standing in nothing but shorts.

"Yeah man of course we're in!" Paul has returned after apparently losing his anger. The rest of the pack present agrees, with the exception of Seth who is disappointed to learn that he will be forced to stay home, and Jacob, Paul and I decide to take the bikes while the rest of the group opts to ride in Quil's dad's van. By this time Leah has returned and invited herself along.

"Alright so we're leaving when?" This from Leah.

"Bout a half hour okay for everybody?" Everyone's head bobs up and down.

"You have the directions?"

"Yeah I do."

All of us head home to change clothes and meet back at Sam's place. We all get aboard our respective vehicles and head to Seattle, the warehouse district. When we arrive at a very tall building that was most likely formerly used to house fish, the area is already crowded and there is a line leading up to the front door.

"Now what?" Quil asks.

"Now we park and go in." This from Jared who has a 'duhh' look on his face as if he can't believe his pack brother's stupidity.

We find places to park and head for the door. Jared holds out his phone to show the invitation to the guard at the door and we are allowed inside.

I can feel my eyes widening as I walk inside and am accosted by the smells of strong liquor, sweating bodies, and dead fish. My nose is screaming in distress and I know my brothers are probably facing the same issue.

"I need a drink." I'm not sure who utters the comment but I certainly agree. We head to the bar, somehow managing to lose Leah, Jacob, and Paul on the way there. Turning around I spot them all on different areas of the dance floor.

Jared orders our drinks while I scan faces in the crowd. My eyes connect with a set of a shade greener and deeper than any I've ever seen. The eyes belong to a woman…or not quite a woman but certainly no girl. Whoever she is runs her eyes over my body and I take the liberty to do the same to her. Short skirt, high heels; she's so short she'd barely reach my shoulders without those sexy killer boots. Tight black top that hugs her breasts gapes in the front, exposing much of her chest. Long chocolate hair that falls in waves to her ass is flipped to fall over one eye and her lips are shiny and full, the only word that comes to mind is kissable.

When my eyes return to her face she smiles and nods. I do the same and turn to claim my drink. When I bring my gaze back to her…she's gone.

"Shit." How could she have disappeared so quickly? I look around one more time, but no…I can't find her.

"What's wrong man?" I turn around to see Jared frowning at me.

"I just saw a really hot chick but when I turned around she fucking disappeared."

"Don't worry about it man. There's more where she came from." As he says this, his eyebrows start bobbing up and down so frantically he looks like he's having an isolated seizure.

"What the hell is wrong with your face?"

He rolls his eyes at me like I'm some dumb kid and points at something behind my left shoulder. "See what I mean?"

I turn around and see her standing beside me at the bar, with an empty glass in her hand.

I guess I was staring at her because without even turning her head she says "If you intend to keep staring at me, maybe you should take a picture. It'll last longer."

"Well I could except that I'm pretty sure I'd like looking at the real deal so much more."

She turns and looks at me through those green eyes and for a second I'm not sure what she's saying.

"Well if I was any kind of honest I'd have to admit that you aren't so bad yourself." She smiles at me and I have to admit the way her skirt rises up over her legs and cups her ass and the way her top gapes open in the front combined with that smile is making Lil Em sit up at attention.

"Well are you some kind of honest?"

"Yeah, I guess I am. You know it's kind of crowded in here. You want to go somewhere?"

"My bike's outside."

She grins and, leaving her glass on the bar says, "Just let me tell my friends where I'll be so they don't worry."

With that she's off and I do the same. We meet at the door in five minutes and we leave, headed for where I parked Jake's bike.

I climb on and start her up, and she gets on behind me and wraps her arms around my waist. She feels really nice back there with her boobs pressed up against my back. "Helmet's in the back if you want it."

"Hell no. I'm fine right here." To demonstrate her point she squirms a bit, presumably to get situated so she won't fall off. My dick pretty is damn hard right now, and I'm hoping she doesn't notice just yet. Now that would definitely make her think me perverted...

I start it up and do a wheely, just to see her reaction. She laughs and yells and holds on tighter. I take off down the street and head for the highway. I've got to be going at least eighty by now but she doesn't seem at all bothered. In fact she puts her hands under my jacket and hooks her fingers through my belt loops.

"You mind?" She yells in my ear, "It's cold out here and you're really warm."

"Yeah" I yell but I doubt she hears me. I take my hand off the handlebar and pat hers twice, and she snuggles in even closer. I realize how cold it probably is out here for a normal human and start looking for a place to stop. There's a little restaurant/bar up ahead and I point it out to her.

"Yes!" She says, and I slow down and park. We go inside and sit down and I notice the goose bumps on her arms and legs.

"Damn, I'm sorry."

She looks at me like I've grown another head. "For what, giving me a really cool ride?"

"No, if I'd realized how cold you were I would have let you have my jacket. Do you want it now?"

"Oh, that. I don't mind, like I said you're really warm. I didn't get these," she gestures to her arms and legs "till I got off and came inside. But yeah, I will take that jacket if you don't mind."

I remove it and hand it to her and she smiles her thanks. "You know it's kind of funny, but I just came all the way out here with you and I don't even know you're name."

"It's Embry. What about you, I just brought you out here with me and I don't know yours. For all I know you could be some fugitive from the law."

She laughs at me and says, "I suppose I could be, but then you could also be some serial killer." We both take a minute to laugh over our hastiness. "My name is Erin."

"Nice to meet you, Erin." Hmmm…Erin and Embry…I hate to admit that I like the sound of that.

"Real nice to meet you too, Embry."

The waitress comes to our table and we both order coffee. When she leaves, Erin leans toward me, and my eyes immediately drop to her cleavage framed nicely by the silky black material of her top.

"Would you think I was very forward if I told you that at the party when I said you weren't too bad to look at, what I really meant was that I find you incredibly attractive and would very much like to see you with fewer clothes if it weren't so damned cold outside?"

Did she just say what I think she did?

"Yes, I find you extremely forward. I can't say that I mind, however."

"What, you like forward girls?"

"Not usually, but I like you."

Shit…please, someone tell me I did not just say that.

"You know what? I like you too, Embry."

No one tell me I did not just say that.

"So I have a proposition for you."

"Go on, I'm listening."

"I don't usually do this, but how about we find a hotel somewhere around here and get to know each other better? What do you say?"

"I'd say that's a damn good idea. But I don't have any protection."

"I saw a convenience store around the corner. And I don't know about you, but I'm clean."

"Me too."

"Then are you up for it?"

I don't even have to look down to know the answer to this one. "Yeah, I'm up for it."

We stand and I pay the waitress for our coffees. As we get back on my bike, she wraps her arms back around my waist and hooks her fingers back into my belt loops. I stop at the convenience store and get a couple of boxes- it never hurts to have extras!- and two toothbrushes and rejoin Erin outside. I book a room in the Holiday Inn a couple miles away and we go upstairs.

No sooner do I put the bags down than Erin is in my arms by the still open front door. I was right, her lips are extremely kissable and as I remove my jacket from her shoulders I feel the rest of her body with my hands. She's all toned muscle and soft flesh. She tilts back her head and I take advantage of the opportunity to kiss down her neck to her collarbone, at the same time undoing the buttons on the back of her top. Belatedly I remember to kick the door shut. I can feel her tugging at the buttons on my shirt, so in an effort to save them from imminent destruction, I undo them before moving on to the hooks on her bra. Apparently my little beauty has claws because she runs them lightly over my back as I run my tongue over her nipples and push her skirt and panties down in one movement. I press her onto the edge of the bed and, looking at her face, take one of her nipples into my mouth with my teeth and suck, hard.

"Ooooooooooh"

She makes little sounds of encouragement as I pay more attention to her other nipple, and when I kiss a pattern down her stomach to her thighs, she looks at me, her eyes a very dark green, and I can see her muscles clenching and unclenching in anticipation.

"Shii...ii…ittt…Ooooohh yessss."

I nibble on her clit and lick it to soothe, then I take it in my mouth and suck on it. She keeps hissing at me, alternately begging me to stop and begging me to never quit. I put one finger inside of her and she moans and wiggles some more, leaning her upper body back to lean on her outstretched arms. I enter in another finger and she moans when I thrust them together. She's so wet that she's squirting everywhere and I keep thrusting into her with my fingers until I can tell she's about to come, and then I enter another finger at the same time sucking down hard on her clit. I see her face as she comes and damn…but I've never seen anything look better.

"Yesssss ohhh pleassssee harder dammit oooooooooooooooohhh"

When she's done quaking I chuck my pants somewhere behind me and put on my condom.

"Turn over." I tell her. She does and gets on her hands and knees.

I take a second to run my hands over her ass and squeeze and she spreads her legs and pushes it back on me. I can't wait anymore so with one thrust I'm in her and she's got a death grip on my dick. This has got to be the fucking definition of paradise. I start pounding her and she's moaning and hissing every time I hit a different angle. I slap her ass and she growls at me. I lean forward and nip at her shoulder and she thrusts back harder with her hips as she groans. I can feel her about to come and I lean forward enough to pant in her ear.

"You like this don't you? You like having my dick in you?"

"Ahhh Mmhhmmm oooooohh" She nods her head, but I want to hear her say it out loud.

"Say it dammit. Say it out loud."

"Yesss! Oh hell yess!"

"Say my name sweetheart. Say it."

I thrust into her really hard. I'm not sure why I'm being so demanding, but I am and there's no room for rationality in my head right now. I can feel her pussy clenching on me, and I'm trying to hold off so I don't cum before her.

"Embryyyyyyy" She's screaming my name as she comes and it's got to be the sexiest thing I've ever heard.

I explode, and when I'm done, I roll over and drag her beside me. After a few minutes of lying there, Erin has apparently regained her breath. "I guess there are some benefits to being forward, hmmm?"

I can't help but laugh, and I get out of bed and head for the bathroom to clean up. When I come back, Erin is snuggled up on her side, already asleep. I haven't been getting much lately myself, so I climb in beside her and lay on my back. She must sense my heat, because she cuddles up to me and…purrs. Holy fuck, she purred! This is the last thought that enters my mind as I wrap my arm around her and go to sleep.

**Author's Note**

Yes, I know, lemon in the first chapter? What is she smoking? I couldn't resist! So tell me what you think…it's simple and easy…just press the little blue button at the bottom and review. Tell me if it sucked or if you loved it, I really don't care I just want you to review!


	3. Leaving, goodbye

**Author's Note**

Hey look! I've started growing lemons! Try one for me, tell me what you think! I'm sorry if you're allergic…if you are then I suggest finding something sweeter…

**Erin POV**

I wake up the next morning with a hangover the size of Rhode Island yet feeling extremely satisfied. Embry and I had been very busy the previousnight, waking up throughout for repeat performances. When my taking a shower became an invitation for round three, and his shower became an invitation for round four, I gave up on being clean and decided to screw him on the floor. Not that he minded. I'm pretty sure he liked my impersonation of a cowgirl, 'yeehaw' and all.

Speaking of sexually satisfying boys, he'snot in bed with me at the moment. "Embry? Where are you baby?" I reach for my purse and take out two Aspirin.

I hear the door beep and I quickly cover myself in case it is the maid. But no, it's Embry with food. "I thought you might be hungry."

"I'm famished." I tell him as I look over his offering.

"I didn't know what you liked so I grabbed a bit of everything."

"Did you already eat?"

"Nah, I figured we could share it. Check-out's in two hours though."

"We should be done by then. Come sit."

We eat in silence; both of us too hungry for polite conversation. When we're done, we clear the food away and leave the tray sitting on the dresser for housekeeping.

"Come here." I tell him. This is the last I'll ever see of Embry, and I suddenly want him to remember me. He walks over and bends down. I kiss him at the same time I undo the zipper on his pants.

"We only have an hour and a half left before we need to be out of here."

"Just one last time?"

I know I've won when I touch his skin and he groans and drops his forehead to mine. "I suppose one more time couldn't hurt anyone."

Stripping him of his clothes, I get down on my knees and lick his dick with one long stroke from the base to the head. He grabs handfuls of my hair and tugs. I slip the tip of his head into my mouth and scrape my teeth over him. And when I slip the full head into my mouth and suck lightly on it his panted breathing turns to moans and grunts of encouragement.

"Hmmmmm…shi…itt…yeahhhhhhhh oh oh oh oh"

His voice has gotten deeper and I'm really enjoying the way he tugs on my hair when I hit a sensitive spot. I slide more of his dick into my mouth move myself back and forth over it. More and more of his cock gets into my mouth and I have to pause and adjust to avoid gagging on him. Eventually I get him all the way inside; no easy feat because my Embry is no one's definition of a little boy.

"Honey let me go, I'm about to cum."

I take him out of my mouth long enough to tell him "Cum for me baby, cum inside my mouth."

When I put him back in my mouth, I start sucking and moving on him again. He pulls my hair and starts thrusting into my mouth. A few minutes later, he shoots into me, and I swallow it and look him in the eyes. "Yummy."

He smiles with the look of a predator and, kneeling now, pushes me onto the floor, spreads my legs, and in one thrust pushes into me all the way.

"Ooooooooooooooohhhh yesssss! Oh fuuckkk myyy pusssyyyy!"

It doesn't take him long to make me cum, and I end up screaming his name again. I lay there panting with him half on top of me for a few minutes before I can say, "Fuck you."

His head jerks up and he looks at me, smirking. "Afraid you already did that, sweetheart. And what a lovely fucking it was."

"Not what I meant, dammit. You gave me carpet burn."

He laughs and stands, then picks me up and lays me on the bed, face down. I sigh, stretch, and just lay there for a bit. I hear footsteps and then Embry is beside me again. He places something wet and cool on my back and rubs it into my skin. He starts at my shoulders and kneads it into my skin down to my ass. When he's finished he leans down to my ear and says, "Am I forgiven?"

I turn to see him standing there smirking at me, but he's naked still and it did feel really good, so I tell him, "Yes, dammit, you're forgiven."

"Good, because we really do need to leave now."

We get dressed and make it out with minutes to spare; I'm still sore, but in a nice kind of way. We get on his bike and he says, "So where in Seattle do you live?"

"Oh shit. I'm not from Seattle. I really hate to do this but I forgot to tell you last night… Do you know where the Makah Reservation is?"

"Oh yeah I know where that is. I'm from the Quilete Rez a few miles over."

"Awesome, would you mind dropping me off?"

"Not at all. At your place or just at the Rez?"

Understanding why he asked I told him to just drop me at the rez and I'd get home by myself.

"You sure? You don't have to walk."

"Yeah, I'm sure." He starts the bike and four hours later we arrive at the single road leading into the rez.

I climb down and reach to remove his jacket which I'm still wearing. "No," he says, "keep it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah I'm sure. Remember me."

"I don't need a jacket for that one, but thank you." I lean forward and kiss him one last time. "Good-bye."

I jump away and start walking towards the rez, making sure to swing my hips as I do. I can hear the bike idling until I round the first turn out of sight where I pause to listen as he revs the engine and rides away.

I head home and check mom's window to make sure she's already left for work, and then I unlock the front door and head to the kitchen. I pick up an apple and read the note on the fridge.

_You were asleep when I left, and I just wanted to let you that dinner's in the fridge, but you need to heat it up. Love you, Mom._

Wow…if only she knew…

**Embry POV**

By the time I get back to the reservation, drop off Jake's bike, and get home, it is 3:30. Sam is probably pissed at me by now for being AWOL this long so I need to check in with him. Of course, going to his place means I'll have to suffer a ribbing from the guys. Oh well, it was worth it.

So she's from the Makah Reservation. That's only a few miles away. Although she didn't give me a number or anything…I don't even know how to get to her house. But I haven't been able to get her out of my head since I dropped her off.

I stop in the kitchen to grab some leftover pizza on my way out the door, strip and tie my shorts to my ankle, then phase and head for Sam's house.

_Hey look who's back! Embry where've you been?_

I crush the automatic impulse to mentally review exactly where I've been and what I've been up to.

_No where. I just had to clear my head so I took a ride. I stopped at a hotel and stayed the night. Just got back. I was headed to Sam's place._

Quil appeared from between the trees in his wolf form.

_You better be. He's pretty pissed that you didn't bother to check in. He said that if any of us found you we were to bring you straight to him. Alphas Orders._

_I understand._

I start to walk away, but he follows me.

_Was there something else?_

_Dude…I really meant it when I said I had to bring you to him._

_Of course. What was I thinking?_

_I don't know._

_That was sarcasm, bud._

_I know that. So did you meet anyone interesting last night?_

A quick vision of nicely muscled legs tapering down to cute little feet painted with bright green nail polish pops into my head but thankfully Quil is not paying close attention to anything but the scents he is picking up.

_Nah not really. What about you?_

_Not really. I met a couple of guys who were practically begging me to maul them, but other than that? Nothing._

_Damn. Some party._

_Jared would disagree with you._

_Oh yeah?_

_Yeah. He met a couple of college girls from the University. Had a blast. But _he_ called in._

I grin at him and the rest of our walk passes in silence. When we near Sam's house, Quil stops walking.

_See you around. That is, if there's enough of you left after Sam get's done with you._

_Gee thanks._

I phase back to my human form and put my shorts on. Walking inside I see Emily cooking something in the kitchen. "Sam? Embry's here."

Sam enters a few minutes later wearing nothing but a towel. "You want to explain to me where you were all last night and this morning?

"It got too stuffy at that party. I needed some fresh air. I took a ride and ended up staying in a hotel."

"That's it? You have a cell phone. You could have called. Hell you could have used the hotel phone. And why did it take you so long to get back here?"

"Well dad… see the thing is…"

"That is not funny, Embry. We were all concerned."

"I know I know, I get it." Might as well tell Sam now. There's really no use in trying to keep secrets when everyone can read everyone else's thoughts. "I met someone last night…A girl… She and I stayed at the hotel together. I got…distracted…"

The look in Sam's eyes changes from disapproval to amusement. "I can definitely understand how that can happen…" His gaze darts to Emily, who is laughing at my discomfort, and then back to me. "But next time, find the time to call. Okay?"

"Alright. That it?"

"No. I'm giving you patrol with Leah tonight. Starting in an hour. Hope you slept well last night with your little friend." Sam has an absolutely shit eating grin on his face and Emily is going into hysterics behind me, so I salute them both sarcastically and head back to my house. May as well get in an hour's sleep before I have to stay up all night.

**Author's Note**

Yes, I know it's short, but I gave you a lemon so don't kill me! Eventually, you know you'll forgive me! Click the little button at the bottom and review! Wow…these exclamation points are killing me…


	4. Missing you

**Embry POV**

It's been three weeks since that party in Seattle and I still haven't been able to stop thinking about Erin. I'm pretty sure I'm driving the guys insane. I know Leah is past sick and tired of it. At first the guys just teased me about all the moaning going on in my head and how impressive my stamina had turned out to be. Hahaha and all that.

I wish she had given me some clue that she wanted to see me again. If only there was some way to get in touch with her; some way to accidentally bump into her.

Sam's had me doing night patrols this whole time which sure as hell makes me glad it's summer and I don't have to deal with school. Emily's got me messing around in her garden during the day, probably hoping it will keep me around so I can't 'run off again'. Pshhaw. Like I have anywhere I'd run off to? They never put Jared on a chore list before…

I'm digging weeds out of Em's garden at the moment. This is really the worse of my two punishments. I can't help but think what happened to Erin. Did her parents notice her absence? Was she grounded? Did she tell anyone about our night together? A friend? A brother? A sister? Does she even have siblings? I keep asking myself these questions but all they do is make me want to see her more. I'm still craving her body, but I also have this overwhelming urge to get to know her better. Not just how she likes to be pleasured, but also what makes her…her.

It's a really good thing I'm not in wolf form right now. If any of the guys or Leah heard me right now…I'd never hear the end of it.

Erin POV

I woke up again this morning completely hangover free. I'd forgotten what it was like to be completely sober all the time. Granted during school, I didn't drink all the time…Actually I didn't really drink at all, but then I had other things to focus on. Now, I have no urge to party, let alone drink.

My grandmother used to tell me the key to being close to nature was having a clean soul, and that the first step to achieving that came from having a clean body. I didn't really understand what she meant until now. For the first time since she died, I actually feel the urge to shift. So I do.

On all fours I run through the woods, not sure where I'm going, but not really caring either. It feels so good to have the wind rushing through my fur, to feel my paws on the earth beneath me. I run as fast as I can, not really paying attention to anything but my senses, until I come across a small cabin.

I finally realize where I have traveled to, and I crouch low, trying to stay out of sight of anything human. Just as I decide no one is near and that I should turn around and head back, I see someone. He has to be at least six foot three, short cropped black hair. He's wearing nothing but baggy cargo pants. He isn't even wearing shoes. Sweat glistens off his body as he pulls weeds out of an overgrown vegetable garden. I'd recognize that figure anywhere. _Embry._

I sit and watch him for a few minutes before I hear someone humming. Scanning the house I see a woman in one of the windows humming happily. "Hey Embry, are you thirsty?"

"Yeah Emily. Do you have any tea?"

"Yes I do. I'll have Sam bring it out to you." She turns away from the window and fills a glass with the tea, then turns to a black haired man. "Be safe." She whispers to him before she kisses his lips and hands him the glass.

The man comes out the door and gives the glass to Embry before…taking off his pants? Surely he isn't…

I back farther into the bushes as the man's muscles and bones shift and in a matter of a few seconds, where once a man stood, now was a giant wolf. A shapeshifter? Embry doesn't look at all surprised.

The wolf lifts his nose to the air. I realize that I must be downwind from them. Can I outrun that thing? As it turns to look directly where I am standing, I decide that, even if I can't outrun the thing, I will have to try. Surely it will eat me if it catches me.

I dart into the woods and run as fast as my legs can take me. Faster than any ordinary jungle cat, I pull farther and farther ahead of him. I hear the paw steps of more than one wolf however. Eventually I make it back to the reservation. Finally, familiar ground. I dart behind Erica's house long enough to phase and climb into a window. I wait until I see shadows shifting and eventually I see the black wolf searching, presumably for me. I watch until they leave, and then I walk to Erica's door, careful not to stumble across any of her family. I knock at her door. "Enter."

I walk in and she looks up and gapes at me. "Why aren't you wearing any clothes?"

"Extremely long story." I tell her as I go to her bathroom and take one of her towels. I hear rustling and I turn to see Cameron struggling to get out from under the bed. "Shit I didn't mean to interrupt you guys." I am trying my best to look only at Erica and not at Cameron's bare ass, but I'm losing the battle. "I just needed to borrow some clothes that I can wear home. Those dirty?" I point to her jeans that she has thrown over a chair.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie. Yeah those are dirty. If you're going to wear them home, will you wash them for me? The shirt under them is clean enough to wear. There's a bra and underwear in the top drawer as well."

I smile at my best friend in the world. "Sorry for ruining your afternoon."

"You didn't ruin it. You're going home and I'm going to resume what I was doing and later I'll call you so we can swap stories."

I laugh at her as I gather the clothes. I enter the bathroom and put them on. Knocking on the door I say, "You better be decent because I'm coming in."

When I enter, they are both sitting on the bed. I wave and give her a thumbs up and leave. When I get home, my mom is still at work, but there's another note on the fridge.

_Erin, sweetie, I need you to go shopping today. Make a list and be sure to budget. I left some money on the counter. Love you, Mom._

Yeah Mom, love you too.

Quil POV

I stand in a circle of trees searching for the tiger. How was it faster than me? I look at the Makah Reservation lands, trying to see some sign of where it hid. Nothing.

_Come on boys, I don't think we'll be seeing that tiger for a while yet._ Sam turns away and starts heading for home.

Embry stands at the tree line and doesn't respond in any way to Sam's suggestion.

_Embry? Come on, man. Emily made dinner. Let's go._

_She lives here._

_Who lives here?_

_Erin._

_Embry, I'm sure she's fine. If it'll make you feel any better, I'm sure Sam will talk to the council and warn them. There's nothing else we can do, remember?_

He turns to look at me. _I suppose you're right._

We catch up to Sam and return to his house. The rest of the night Embry is mostly silent and moody; not at all like his usual self. I'm not sure what to do about him. Maybe…could I get them together again? I already know what she looks like and what her name is. I even know where she lives…kind of.

I doubt she'll be unhappy if I get them together again. Hell, if she looks anything like Embry right now, I'm sure she'd love the opportunity to get her claws into him again. The idea has merit.

_Next Day_

I don't have patrol today so I tie my shorts and a shirt to my ankle before I phase. I already know Embry is working in Emily's garden today so he won't be able to find out what I'm up to. I run all the way to the Makah Rez, then phase back and put on my clothes.

Now the hard part: how to find Erin. I debate the potential of going door to door and decide that isn't a good idea. I glance up when I hear a door shut and a girl around Erin's age exits one of the houses nearest me and locks the door.

Running out of the bushes, I shout to her, "Excuse me!" She stops walking and looks up at me. Smiling she waits till I reach her. "Do you know where I can find Erin?"

Her expression changes to one of bemusement. "Let me guess, Embry?"

I smile my most charming smile. "Not quite, but we are friends. I'm looking for Erin so I can tell her something from Embry. Do you know where I can find her?"

"Yeah, she's probably at home. I'll call her."

She pulls out her cell phone and leans against the hood of an old rusty pickup truck. "Hey chica. There's a guy at my house looking for you."

A few minutes pause and then she says, "No his name is Quil. He says he has a message from Embry."

Another few seconds pause before she speaks again. "Thought you might. Alright I'll bring him over. Love you too. Mmhhmmm. Bye."

She shuts the phone and turns to me. Nodding her head to the truck, she says, "Hop in. I'll take you there."

We ride in silence while I debate how to phrase what I want to say. Five minutes later she stops. "This is it. Door's unlocked, just go on in."

"Thanks for the ride."

She nods again and drives off. I walk into the house and call out. "Hello? Anyone home?"

"In here."

I turn to my left and follow a short hallway till I reach a kitchen. There's a woman cooking spaghetti in a skillet on the stovetop, but I'm not sure if it's her from the back. "Are you Erin?"

She turns around and I get a good look at her face. I'm absolutely sure that it's her.

"Yeah, that's me. What can I do for you?"

"Your friend told you I have a message from Embry…what she should have said is that I have a message about Embry."

She leaves the pasta and turns to me. "What message? How is he?"

"See, that's the thing. He's kind of gotten all moody and depressing and poetic these last couple of weeks and I was hoping I could convince you to come visit. I thought maybe if you did he'd cheer up some."

"How do I know he really even wants to see me again?"

I shrug. "I guess it's just a question of how much you want to see him again. You'll just have to take my word for everything else."

She considers this for a moment and then looks at me again. "When?"

I smile my most gratified smile. "How's tonight?"

"That's fine. I take it he doesn't know I'm coming."

"You would be correct."

"Want to stay for dinner? I make pretty good spaghetti if I do say so myself."

"Sure, I'll try some."

She puts some on a plate and hands it to me. "Parmesan cheese is in the fridge if you want it."

We eat in silence for a few minutes. "You were right." I tell her. "This is really good."

"Thanks." She smiles. I see why Embry was so interested in her.

"So I take it you drove here, right?"

Crap, why didn't I think of that beforehand? "Actually no, my friend dropped me off on the way out of town. I was really hoping you'd agree to come so I wouldn't have to walk all the way back." I try to smile convincingly, and I think she buys it.

"That's alright. My friend shouldn't mind if I borrow her car."

"Awesome."

We continue to eat in silence until we clean our plates. She puts the leftovers in the fridge and our plates in the dishwasher. She goes upstairs to change and call her friend to let her know we'll be borrowing her car, and I'm left to wait in the living room. Surprisingly, she's back in ten minutes.

"Ready?" I ask her.

"Ready."

It takes about an hour to get back to the reservation and I direct her back to Sam's house. I can see everyone through the window and I remember something else I forgot to do before I went to find Erin. "Wait one sec, alright?" She nods and I jump out of the car and walk inside.

"Hey people. I brought some company. Anybody mind?"

Both Sam and Emily shake their heads 'no' and because they're the only ones who really matter, I go back to the truck and Erin. "Come on in. Looks like you'll get to meet everyone tonight."

She looks nervous. "You sure this is a good idea? I mean, is this even Embry's house?"

"No this isn't Embry's house, but it's a friend of ours. He said he didn't mind you stopping by. Come on in; we won't bite."

She still looks as if she doesn't believe me, but she no longer looks as if she's going to back out the drive any second now. I lead her into the house and everyone stills as they realize who I brought. Embry is the last to look up, but when he does, his face lights up and I'm glad I decided to find her after all.

"Erin!" He stands and his chair scrapes back noisily. He comes around the table and hugs her tightly. For the first time I realize that she is wearing his favorite jacket. Since he seems too preoccupied to make introductions, I decide to do so myself.

"Everybody, this is Erin. She's a friend of Embry's from about three weeks ago."

"Want to take a walk?" He's obviously ignoring me.

"Wait a minute, Embry, don't you want to eat something?" Emily is ever the mother figure.

"Not hungry." He's not even looking away from Erin.

"Well then you can wait until Erin eats something."

"Thanks for the offer," she says, "but I already ate." She glances at Emily long enough to shrug and say "Spaghetti."

They walk out the door holding hands, and I clap my own. Definitely a job well done. I for one will not be expecting either of them for several hours at least. And if they show up before then…someone else can fetch her next time.

**Author's Note**

Need I say it when you already know what I'm going to ask? Review, por favor!


	5. Welcome Wagon

**Author's Note**

I have three words...Read and Review!

**Embry POV**

I can't believe Quil went and found her. I'm going to have to do something special for his birthday.

Looking at Erin, I see that she is even more beautiful than I remembered. Clad in short denim shorts and a deep blue top with very thin straps covered by my jacket, her hair blows in the breeze and swirls around her face.

"You're friend told me that you missed me."

"He was right. I've been trying to think up some way to find you, but I wasn't sure if you wanted to see me again."

"Same here. I even thought about sneaking over here to spy on you."

My eyes widen as I stare at her. "Please tell me you didn't."

She looks somewhat embarrassed but simply says, "I said I thought about it. I never said I actually did it."

"Okay good. I really don't want you in these woods alone. Sam and I saw a tiger the other day messing around on his property."

Her eyes light up and she looks happier for my explanation. "A tiger? In this part of the world? That's strange."

"Yeah well. It was big, white, had black stripes, and really big teeth. I'd say that qualifies as a tiger."

"Or a really ticked off zebra."

"And paws."

"Tiger it is."

She smiles at me and I reach for her hand. We braid our fingers together, and I feel happier than I have in all the weeks since she disappeared from sight.

"You know, I've been thinking. I don't really know anything about you."

"And I don't know much about you either."

"Well how about I ask you a question and you can ask me one, back and forth."

"Sounds good. Okay, what's your favorite color?"

"Blue. You?"

"Green. What's your favorite food?"

"Pizza. What's yours?"

"Spaghetti. I make it from scratch. What are you dying to ask me?"

"Tell me about your family."

Some of the laughter dies from her eyes, but she still smiles and answers my question. "I have two brothers, Matthew and Justin. Matthew is in medical school, studying to be a pediatrician. Justin is a police officer in Seattle. He's married, and his wife Sue is expecting their first child. My mother is a workaholic who is pretty much oblivious to my existence until I do something she deems as 'Problematic Behavior'. Both sets of grandparents are dead, but I only ever knew my grandmother on my father's side. My dad's dead too. He was in a car crash; died on the operating table when I was born."

"I'm sorry, Erin."

"Hey, don't be. I never knew him so if I felt the pain I wasn't aware of anything. You didn't know. You couldn't have."

This is true and I feel horrible for bringing up memories that, even if she denies it, still pain her. On top of that, she is the one still grieving, and yet she is trying to comfort me for hurting her in the first place.

"Tell me about your family."

"Well you just met most of them. I live with my mother here on the reservation, but don't know who my dad is. There are three possibilities, but none of them are bright prospects. Most of the guys in there are like my brothers. One of them may be. Emily and Leah are like sisters to me, though Leah is still somewhat of a sore subject around here."

"Why, what happened?"

"It's...complicated. So how did your family react when you stayed out all night?"

She runs her hand through her hair, and for a moment I'm distracted by the urge to touch her, taste her, run my hands through the silky strands.

"They didn't. Like I said, both of my brothers are considered adult, and they don't live with me anymore. My mom and I are the only ones left in the house, and she really doesn't notice anything I do. She thought I was sleeping peacefully in my room. Of course we both know what I was really doing.." She grins at me and it's contagious, so I grin as well. "What did your family do?"

"My mom is pretty used to me staying out all night, though she still doesn't like it. She screamed at me again. I didn't tell her I was with you; she would have skewered me. Emily has me weeding out her garden though. Trust me, that's all the punishment I need. I don't think that garden has seen a rake in years."

She laughs, probably picturing me wearing an apron, holding garden sheers, and pulling weeds in Em's overgrown yard.

We stop walking when we reach a small clearing, and I stop fighting the urge to kiss her. I lean closer and brush my lips against hers. She arches closer to me and returns my kiss, deepening it. I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her slightly, slipping my tongue between her soft lips.

Her skin is soft, and I relish the feel of it as I run my hands over her body. I lift her shirt to knead her boobs and she moans, breaking the kiss long enough to remove my jacktet and then her shirt and bra.

Our lips meet again, and I feel her nails scouring my back. She fumbles with the buttons on my shirt and eventually manages to remove the thing. I pick her up bridal style and lay her down in the tall grass on top of my shirt. Leaning down, I lick her breast and tease her center with my fingers through the denim of her cutoffs. She moans and hisses at me, and when I remove her shorts I discover how ready she already is for me.

She reaches for the button of my pants and unsnaps it, pulling me free of my boxers as she does. Her hand is soft and cool compared to my body heat, and the sensations she evokes create feelings of ecstasy within me.

Her other hand reahes for her shorts. I pause looking at her as she grasps one of the belt loops, digs in a pocket, withdraws something, and then throws them away. She holds up a small foil packet with two fingers and I grin at her, realizing what she was trying to tell me. There really was no point to the thing; I couldn't give her children, and my body heat did not allow for disease.

She tears the packet in two with her teeth and I lean back so that she can slide it onto me. I grit my teeth and restrain myself from letting loose and pumping into her hand, instead waiting patiently for the agonizing torture to stop.

When she is done, I push her backward onto the ground as I lean forward and lift her legs. I spread them wide and enter her in one quick thrust.

"Ooh Embryyyyyyy..."

Her unintelligable words escalate as I come into her over and over again. Her nails dig into my shoulders and I reach down to bite at hers.

As my teeth graze her skin, I feel a shiver run through her body. I increase my pace, and she clenches her muscles around me.

"Ooooooh baby yesss shi...i..tt ooooooooooh..."

Losing my restraint, I pound into her harder, biting her breast just above her nipple, and she screams.

"Yesssss! Embry!"

I cum immediately after her and stay there, positioned above her, unable to move except to pant heavily.

We lay there for a while, and when I can finally move again I withdraw from her, roll onto my back, and bring her in close to me.

Neither of us says anything, content to just lay there. I know that we have to move eventually, however, and so we do. Picking up our clothes and redressing, we leave the meadow holding hands and return to Sam's house and her truck.

She reaches inside an gets out a paper and pen and scribbles something down. Reaching down to her waist where both my hands still rest, she places the paper in one hand, entertwining her fngers with mine.

"Call me sometime, but this time don't waste three weeks before you make your move."

She kisses me softly, tracing my lips with her tongue and finally grasping my lower lip with her teeth. I return her kiss and devour her hungrily. As I press her against the side of her truck, I hear a high pitched cat call coming from the porch.

I groan and leave her mouth, looking up to see Quil, Jared, Collin, and Seth staring at Erin and me. I turn my eyes back to her. "I'll definitely call you."

Light shimmers in her eyes as she looks at me and grins, turning and climbing into the truck. She backs away and waves to me through the window. When she finally disappears, I turn to find that our earlier audience had vanished and only Leah stands on the porch, staring at me accusingly.

"Did you imprint on her?"

I look at her warily; I know what is coming. "No."

Her customery glower turns hotter as she stares at me like the lowest of scum. "You're pathetic," she says and walks away.

I watch her walk away and I know that without a doubt, even though she is right, I can't not see Erin. It would drive me insane. It almost already did, and she knows it. She knows how I feel about Erin. She also knows what I'm trying my best not to admit. Imprinting isn't a choice; it's an obligation.

And if the time comes that I'm forced to leave Erin...how will I live with myself?"

**Author's Note**

Okay, so we now know that...

A) Erin is a tiger...in bed *cough cough*

B) Embry may pull a Sam on her, but this will be worse because she doesn't even know why...

C) Embry and Erin will definitely be seeing each other again

So what will happen next? (I have no idea.)

Will Erin tell Embry her secret? Will Embry tell Erin his? Will Leah ever stop PMSing?

_Round and round the town of Forks the wolves all chased the tiger; where they'll stop nobody knows..._

_not even the writer!_


	6. A Disturbance in the Woods

**Chapter 5**

**EmPOV**

Two days after Erin surprised me with a visit, I spot the tiger again.

I'm patrolling the border, not really looking for anything in particular, but looking for something, when I smell it. It was recent; it couldn't have passed here more than fifteen minutes ago, if that.

I take off at a run smelling leaves and bushes for traces of the beast at the same time I mentally call for backup.

_Quil? Jake? Seth? If anybody's a wolf right now I could sure use some backup…_

_Embry? What's wrong? Something happening on the border?_

Leah. Thank goodness. Never thought I'd live to think that…

_I'm patrolling the border. I just caught scent of the tiger we chased away from Sam's place the other day. I need you to go get Sam and the others, and then follow me back._

_Why don't you go yourself?_

_Because you're faster than I am. I can follow the trail to make sure it doesn't get cold and keep it distracted until you get back with help. Please, Leah. If that tiger's been messing around the Makah rez…_

_I get it; I get it. You just want to protect your girlfriend._

_You find it that hard to believe?_

_*Sigh* No, I suppose I don't. I'll get Sam and the others. Oh, and Embry…?_

_Yeah?_

_Try not to get yourself mauled by a tiger while I'm gone._

_Wow…are you actually being nice?_

_No, but if you're going to get eaten, I'd at least like to watch. Be there in a few._

_Thanks._

_Don't mention it._

I run faster; the scent getting stronger. A flash of white catches my eye right before I feel something heavy hit me from above. Sharp pinpricks penetrate my skin and cause blood to seep from my shoulders and neck. I let out a sharp whine as teeth close around my leg before I somersault, leaving my attacker on the ground as I get up.

A large white tiger faces me, bigger than any I've ever seen in the Seattle zoo, from about two feet away, its large blue eyes looking into mine. Blood drips from teeth are bared at me in a snarl. I take a step sideways and my leg almost gives way beneath me.

Keeping my eyes on the tiger, I watch as it blinks and shakes its head as if clearing a thought. I hesitantly put more weight on my foot and again my leg almost collapses. The tiger steps forward and I bare my teeth at it. It bends its front paws and bows its head; a submissive posture. I cease growling at it, and it crawls toward me on its belly. When it reaches me, it licks my wound and lets out a high pitched mewl, reminiscent of a remorseful housecat. It rubs its head on my neck and touches its nose to mine.

I return the gesture. I notice something I had forgotten to note earlier. The tiger…is a female.

_Embry? Are you okay? We're almost there._

Sam's thoughts rouse me from my observation of the she-cat, and I glance in the direction I had come, from which I now here paw steps. When I turn to look at her; she is gone. I attempt to take a step, but my leg finally collapses, and I fall to the dirt.

_I'm hurt, and badly. Apparently the tiger is territorial. She took a bite out of me and then said she was sorry._

_The tiger talked to you, Embry?_

_No, but she did submit._ I replay the events of the last few moments in my head, allowing Leah, Jake, and Sam to catch up. Leah steps into the clearing first, followed by Jake and then Sam.

_She ran off when she heard your approach._

_Hey, don't look at me. Blame the dynamic duo behind me; they're the ones making all the noise._

_Cool your jets, Leah. The point is it got away._

Sam helps me to my feet and tells Jacob to finish my route. He tells Leah to search for the tiger and then slowly walks me back to his house.

When we arrive, Emily is in the kitchen baking, and Quil and Seth are playing cards at the table.

"Embry, man what happened to you?"

"Had a bad run in with a tiger."

"Bet she looks worse, huh?"

"Actually no. She jumped on me from a tree. By the time I got her off my back she had me bleeding pretty bad. Then she just…submitted. Like an omega. It was weird. She licked my wound."

Quil and Seth exchange looks. "What?"

Quil grins at me and says, "Looks like Erin may have some competition in the form of a pissed off tiger."

"I don't think she was pissed off, I think she was in heat…or at least about to be. That's what it smelled like to me."

Seth's eyes bug out and Quil looks like he is trying not to burst out with joviality at my expense.

"Don't get to attached to that tiger, Embry. It has to go. Either we need to make it leave the area or we kill it. Either way, we have to prevent it from hurting anyone else from our tribe. Or any other."

Sam's words force Seth and Quil to stop laughing, and I nod my head and turn to leave. As I walk out the door I can think of only one thing.

Both Erin and that damned tiger have an excellent knack for disappearing.

**ErPOV**

As I enter my house, now fully clothed and traveling on two legs, I smell something coming from the kitchen. Lifting my nose I sniff the air, catching the scent of chocolate chip cookies baking. I walk to the kitchen, and as I approach I hear humming. Did I walk into the wrong house? The smells coming from that kitchen and the happy humming I'm hearing cause me to stop walking and look around. The pictures and memories on display in the hall verify that I am indeed in the house I've lived in for as long as I can remember.

Even more curious now, I resume my route into the kitchen and see Sue, my brother's new wife, removing warm gooey cookies from a large silver pan onto a plate on the kitchen counter, large belly disproportionate to her small frame. I would have laughed if the happy scene did not make me want to spontaneously combust into tears. Ugh. Stupid hormones…

"Sue, what are you doing here?"

She turns around and smiles at me, a hundred watt grin that lights up her already glowing face. "Erin! I'm so glad you're home; I didn't hear you come in. Your brother and I got here earlier, and I just needed something to do. Hope you don't mind, but I figured if I let you have some, you wouldn't mind if I borrowed your kitchen for a bit."

I grin back and tell her, "I don't mind at all; so long as you clean up the mess. Where is Justin anyway?"

"Out searching for you. Or at least that's his unofficial assignment. I sent him out for some guacamole. I've been craving the stuff for months."

"Yeah, I hear pregnancy does that to you."

"Yeah well, I suppose I ought to have packed some, shouldn't I? Oh well. So what've you been up to today?"

I shrug noncommittally. "Just hanging out with a friend."

"Does that friend drive a beat up rusty old Camero? Because they parked on the lawn." I turn around to see my brother Justin enter the kitchen carrying a grocery bag with the words 'Thank You' in bright red letters printed across it.

"Different friend, and I parked it. Why, you going to give me a ticket for parallel parking, big brother?"

"I'm considering it. I'm waiting to see if you're ever going to come over here and give your big brother a hug and a kiss. Don't I deserve a welcome back?"

He frowns at me pitifully and I laugh, going over to wrap my arms around his neck and peck him on the cheek. He squeezes my waist with his big, burly arms and I lose my breath. "Justin…I need those ribs for later…"

When Justin releases me, I pat down my clothes, smoothing out the wrinkles in my tank.

"Nice jacket." He tells me this as he looks over my body, lingering on the leather jacket I had put back on after returning from the woods this morning.

"Thanks. I got cold so my friend stole it from her brother. I think I may just keep this one. It fits me pretty well, wouldn't you say?"

I turn and strut across the room, modeling my 'stolen' jacket for the two of them, throwing in a few head tosses to sell my excuse. Nothing convinces older brothers of little sisters' sincerity like the thoughts of pettiness and fashion.

I leave Sue to her baking and Justin to keep her company while I go upstairs and brush my teeth. I don't think Justin noticed the blood, but I don't want to give him time to correct that mistake.

When I'm done, I leave Embry's jacket on a chair in my room and head back downstairs to turn on the TV. My mind wanders back to the events of this afternoon, and my eyes miss everything currently happening.

When I jumped on that wolf, I hadn't known it was Embry. When I bit that wolf, I hadn't known it was Embry. When I hissed at that wolf, I hadn't known it was Embry. I knew it was Embry when I looked at its eyes. The first thought that occurred to me was 'You're following me. Stop now.' The second was 'I just took a bite out of Embry's brother.' The third was 'I just maimed Embry.'

But Embry is a shape shifter. Just like me. Except he isn't a tiger…he's a wolf. Which means all of the legends that Grandma used to tell me are true. All of them. I suppose that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise considering the hardest of them to believe is a part of me and had walked on all fours this afternoon, I should have known the others would be as well.

I think back on all the legends that Grandma A'Yalou used to tell me as bedtime stories when my mother was too busy with work to bother tucking me in. Many of them are hazy. I have trouble with the Quileute legends, and there are a few Makah that I can't completely remember.

By the time my mother returns home, Sue has finished dinner. We eat at the table for the first time in weeks. Conversation is kept up throughout the meal, with a definite lack on my part. Finally I excuse myself and take my plate to the kitchen before heading upstairs to shower. By the time I am ready to lie down there is a knock on my door.

"Enter."

My brother opens the door and walks inside, shutting it on his way in. "You okay, Hairy?"

"Yeah, Shortie, I'm fine. Just a little out of whack I suppose." Who am I kidding? Ever since that party in Seattle, I haven't had a 'whack' at all.

"No kidding. You were watching the Simpsons tonight. You only do that when you're really upset and trying to hide it. I'm your brother, Hairy, you can't hide things from me. Now spill." He sits down on my bed and stares at me, his hands on my feet in case I try to escape. I know he won't leave until I tell him something, and if necessary, he'll start interviewing witnesses.

"You want to talk to your little sister about her sex life?"

He looks a bit queasy, but he nods and doesn't move to leave. I give him points for stubbornness. "I met this guy, Embry, at a party in the warehouse district of Seattle. We…well, you get the point."

Justin looks at me like he isn't sure whether to hunt Embry down or to stay and hear the rest of the story, but for now he stays and I'm glad that homicide is still illegal in Washington.

"I thought that would be the last I'd hear from him, except his friend tracked me down-"

"He had his friend track you down instead of just calling? How old is this guy, Hairy?"

"He's eighteen. Just like me. Now can I finish my story, Justin? Or are you just going to interrupt me every time I say something you don't like?"

I don't mean to snap, but it gets his attention. I continue my story, staring intently at the loose string on my blanket. I tell him everything, leaving out the part about wolves and tigers. I even tell him what happened the day after I gave Embry my phone number. He has murder in his eyes, and some sick part of me is touched that he cares that much about my feelings.

"So I'm guessing you really like this guy?"

"Yeah I do. Oh, and for the record…it was his jacket."

"I figured as much. And you used protection?"

"I'm not stupid, Shortie. And this isn't the first time I've had sex."

His eyes cross at the knowledge and I enjoy a few moments of his discomfort before I let him off the hook.

"I'm OK, Shortie. Really, I am. I just wanted to get it all out, and I guess I haven't emotionally dumped in a while. I just can't help but wonder what kind of future I have with this guy. I don't know…maybe it's too soon to be thinking about a future…"

"Hairy, no offense, but you're having sex. I think right now is the perfect time to be considering the future."

I laugh. "I'll keep that in mind, Shortie. Now go get some sleep. Don't leave that pregnant wife of yours alone too long…she may pop…"

He grins, gets up, and leaves, and I find that letting go of everything that had been pressurizing inside of me really has helped to reduce my stress level. I relax enough to go to sleep, and when I drift off, I dream of Embry, wolves, and zoo cages.

_**Next Day**_

I wake up feeling refreshed and sunny. Reflecting on the close call of yesterday, I know that I should not attempt to visit Embry, yet I want to make sure I didn't injure him to the point that he would not recover. Well if I'm going anywhere I need to leave now, while everyone is still asleep.

I get dressed in as few clothes as possible and head downstairs. No one has crawled out of bed besides myself, so I'm in luck. I grab a banana as I head outside and I eat it as I head into the shallow woods situated just outside the boundary of my backyard.

Finishing my banana, I make sure I'm alone before turning to the nearest tree and climbing. When I reach the top, I scan the trees again and remove my clothes. Taking the strand of leather I had used to tie back my hair, I wrap my clothes around each other and secure them to a branch of the large Redwood I'm perched in.

I shift and jump, landing on all fours and slightly dazed. Maybe I should have picked a lower tree... Oh well now. I take off at a run and head for Sam and Emily's little cottage of horrors. I'm hoping not to come across the wolves again today; I'm really tired of running from them. Plus the fact that that small gray one is extremely fast. She is probably as quick as I am.

The sight of something large and brown catches my eyes and I stop running, crouching low to the ground as I watch it through narrowed eyes. It sniffs the ground and looks around, trying to catch a scent. This is the place where I attacked Embry yesterday. Which means that beast is probably looking for me.

I watch as it continues to whine and paw the earth, sniffing the blood staining the dirt and leaves, before making widening circles around it. Something cracks to my left and I look up to see another large scruffy wolf sniffing and pawing the ground beneath him. I widen my eyes and look t my right where I see the small gray wolf, the female. She too sniffs and searches, but she does not seem as urgent as the others.

I look behind me and am relieved to see that no one is there. I slowly inch back, still crouched with my belly to the ground. I quicken my pace, eager to get away from here before the wind changes. One of the wolves starts growling, and I notice it's the girl. What was her name? Leah. I tighten my muscles, preparing to spring away from her, but I look up to see her growling, not at me, but at the wolf with the scruffy fur.

They lunge at each other and the other steps between them. The wind blows through my fur and all is silent for a moment. The first wolf looks up, sniffs the air, and looks directly at where I lay. The other two wolves turn to look at my hiding place and we stare at each other through the bushes, no one moving, myself not daring to breath. The smallest wolf snaps her teeth and I push forward to hit a tree and turn, gaining the advantage of surprise, and a small lead before any of them give chase. I can hear one of them gaining on me, and I lengthen my strides and push into the earth for more power. I slowly pull away from her, but not for long. I quickly round a corner and find a place to hide, waiting for Leah to charge past me. She does, and the other two males follow suit soon after.

I turn and run back the way I'd come, and I head for my stash of clothes. I shift back to human form and climb the tree, get dressed, and climb back down. Hurriedly, I walk home to avoid the possibility of being seen by one of the returning wolves, and I rush to my house where I open the door, step inside, and lock the bolt. Not that a mere door would stop those monsters, but at least it would slow them down.

I smile as I think of the expressions on their faces when they realize that I have misled them. I am tempted to go back for no other reason than that, but I crush the curious impulse. Curiosity never did anything but get a cat killed, and I'm smart enough not to want to repeat that idiot's mistake.

**Author's Note:**

Review my chappy and I'll love you forever! 3!


	7. Questions lead to Answers

**Author's Note: Read and review; tell me what you think!**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**EmPOV**

Sam has me on watchdog duty at Emily's place until my arm heals up, which could be a while. Presently, I'm sitting on her couch drinking lemonade and watching cartoons. I can smell Emily making chicken noodle soup in the kitchen and my stomach rumbles. I wonder how long it will take to finish those noodles...

Quil, Jake, and Leah went looking for the tiger again today. They were going to start from where I was attacked and go from there. Something tells me though, that if they find her, they still won't catch her.

Granted, Leah is the fastest of us, and if she can't catch her, none of us will be able to. This brings my thoughts back to remembering how she had looked remorseful for biting me, and had licked my wounds. The more I think about it, the more I'm tempted to try and lure her out of hiding.

I'll have to wait until my arm is healed up of course, but that should only take a few days. I'll also have to volunteer for a late night watch and hope that no one else wants to tag along.

I hear voices outside and stand to go check it out. When I open the door, Leah and Jake stand toe to toe arguing. They're both shaking furiously and Quil is staying as far away from them as possible.

"Hey guys, what happened?"

Leah turns her attention to me and I can feel my cowardly self shrinking in the face of her glower.

"Your little friend outran me. It hid in a bush until we passed and doubled back to disappear."

"So you're mad because she's faster than you?" Her glower turns hotter; something I did not think was possible. "Just making sure I got all the facts…"

"You aren't getting the point, bozo. We're superhuman shape shifting wolves with preternatural speed…how could one little tiger be faster than all of us? On top of that…did you know that the average tiger is only four feet tall? That thing was half a foot taller than me. It's not an ordinary tiger, Embry. Your little feline friend is some new breed of unnatural. Black here disagrees with me."

"I just think that the fact that it was taller than average is not enough of a factor to prove that it is supernatural."

"What about how fast it is?"

"Leah, it got a head start. I think it just bruised your pride that some tiger can run faster than you. You can catch it next time. Quit letting your hot head determine your steps and maybe you'll see that I'm right."

"No you aren't, Black. That thing is faster than any of your little bloodsucker friends. If you disagree with me, than you can see if they can catch it; that way one of them can kill it. But I'm telling you, that is no ordinary tiger." She turns to storm off but faces us again after she gets off the steps. "For the record, I hope it bites you in the ass one of these days. Figuratively and literally." Leah finally leaves, and Jacob turns to me.

"She's just upset because your little friend outsmarted her. Girls really don't like to be proven wrong, or to have their skills questioned. Might want to keep that in mind with Erin." He smirks at me and enters the house. Quil and I follow him inside and Emily finishes my noodles. She makes lasagna for dinner, and while she's making it, I decide to call Erin.

"Hello?"

The male voice surprises me, and I wonder if I have the wrong number.

"Hey…um, is Erin around?"

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Erin's brother."

I relax a little. At least I have the right number…unless she gave me the number of her brother in Seattle…

"Oh, hey. Matthew or Justin?"

He pauses, and for a second I wonder if I should be more formal. He is Erin's brother after all.

"I'm Justin. Erin told you about me, I take it."

"Right, you're the cop from Seattle."

"Right. Now answer my question. Who are you?"

"Oh, yeah…sorry. I'm Embry. I was just wondering if I could talk to Erin. Is she in?"

"I'm not sure. Let me ask." I hear him ask someone if they are home and Erin's voice answers yes. "Sorry, she just stepped out." I can hear Erin yelling at her brother in the background that she did not say that and that if he did not give her the phone she would sic someone named Sue on him. I vaguely remember Erin telling me that was his pregnant wife's name.

He chuckles in my ear and says, "I take it you can hear her screaming, yes?"

"Yeah, I can. I wasn't aware she knew so many curses. Was that Quileute?"

"I think so, actually. I didn't know she spoke any Quileute. When did you learn Quileute, Erin?"

I hear her voice answering in a growl, but I can't hear what she says. Another chuckle from her brother and then Erin is on the line. "Embry, you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. That was…interesting. Tell your brother it was nice talking to him for me?"

"Like hell. He'll be lucky if I even let him eat my birthday cake."

"When is your birthday?"

"August 23rd, actually. When is yours?"

"My birthday is July 12th."

"Oh cool. So why'd you call?"

"What, I need a reason to want to hear your voice?"

"Actually no, but I was hoping you were about to ask me out."

"Well that was my second reason for calling. I was just about to ask you what you're doing next Saturday."

"Hanging at home by myself…all alone…with nothing to do…" She sighs dramatically, and I laugh at her.

"Or you could come with me and we could go catch a movie in Seattle; maybe grab a bite to eat. I know this really nice Italian restaurant."

"That sounds great. So will you pick me up?"

"Of course. What time do you want to leave?"

"Say…6:30?"

"Alright, sounds good. Oh, dinner's ready; I have to leave. What's your address?"

She gives me the address and we hang up, each of us looking forward to two Saturdays from now.

The Friday night before our date I volunteer to take a midnight patrol. My arm is all healed up, and I can shift with no problems. It has taken Sam a week to convince himself of this, and I intend to carry out my plan. The tiger has managed to evade us twice more since she outran Leah, and it's time she was taken care of.

As I run into the woods, I sniff out the spot where I was attacked and that the tiger had later returned to. Now what? I hadn't thought of how I'd lure her to me. A shuffling of leaves to my right causes me to turn.

Bright blue eyes glow in the dark, staring at me, unblinking; cat eyes. I sit down and look back at her. Slowly, she emerges and crawls toward me on her belly. When I make no move to stop her, she moves to sit in front of me and nuzzle my breast bone.

Confused, I bend my neck and rub my chin on the top of her head. She cuddles closer to me and purrs into my fur. Now what? Sam's two options for this tiger were permanent removal or death, and since I don't really want to kill this poor girl, removal is the only option.

I stand and she backs up, as if she is about to run and I admonish her and tilt my head. Animal language was much less complicated when we could read each other's thoughts. I start walking east, and after a few steps she follows me. I wag my tail and hit her with it. She looks over at me hisses, but not in a territorial way. She takes off at a slightly faster pace, and I follow.

We run along beside each other, getting faster and faster, crossing vampire territory and eventually passing Seattle. She and I race together until I'm sure my legs will give way beneath me. The tiger looks beautiful in the moonlight. I've never been this close to one of them before, with the exception of a few days ago when she attacked me, and as a human, I can appreciate the magnificence of her beauty.

As I run, I decide that she needs a name. I need to think of something appropriate. Dozens of options run through my head, but I can't think of anything that fits her.

Eventually, we stop at a clearing with a body of water that may very well be Lake Michigan. We stop to drink and she climbs in the water. I thought jungle cats hated water, but apparently this one doesn't, because she starts swimming in circles and making noises as if she wants me to join her.

As I begin to climb in, she splashes me, and when I look up at her I swear she is grinning at me. I let out a laugh that sounds more like a bark, and jump in. She is soaked when I emerge, and no longer looks like she is laughing at my wet fur condition. I grin at her as best I can and we continue to bathe and swim for a while before heading back to the shore. Maybe I could call her Eau, meaning water in Quileute.

Leaving the area, we find some trees and settle in for the night, lying close beside each other. When her breathing settles out, I get up and shift as quietly as I can, before reaching into the pocket of my shorts for the three tranquilizer darts I had placed there before leaving Washington. I inject her with the chemical and wait a few moments to make sure she doesn't wake up, before I put on my shorts and sneak away to the nearby cottage with the pickup parked out front.

The keys are in the ignition, so I drive back to the clearing and phase back to my wolf form, shorts lying on the ground beside me. As a wolf, I lift her carefully into the bed of the truck. Again a human, I redress myself and use the truck's GPS system to navigate to the nearest zoo, ten miles away. I make it there quickly; there is no traffic out at this time of night.

Once again a wolf, I pull her down and carry her into the tiger enclave and set her near the small pool. I look to the back of the enclave and see the other tigers, though none as big or as magnificent as Eau. All of them are orange, so I think the zookeeper may enjoy having a white tiger as part of his exhibit. I can only hope that she is treated well. Maybe I'll come back and visit her sometime.

I exit the enclave and return the truck to its owner's house before securing my shorts to my ankle and phasing back in preparation to return home.

I run all the way back to the rez. I'm hoping she'll be fine out there by herself, but I'm trying not to think about the other alternative. Leah had told Jake to get the bloodsuckers to hunt her down, and I'm worried that they might take her up on the offer if one of us asks them. This is the only way she'll be able to live. And she'll be with other tigers; it had to be lonely out there in the woods all alone.

When I make it back home, my mom is lying on the couch, a photo album laid open on her lap to a picture of me when I was ten. A mug of very cold cocoa sits beside her, and her slippers have almost completely fallen off her feet. I take the blanket off the closest chair and cover her with it. She snuggles closer to the back of the couch and I bend over to kiss her forehead. "Good night, mom. I love you. I'm sorry." I head into my room and strip, and then I fall into bed and sleep most of the day away. Later, I've got a date with a very sexy girl.

**ErPOV**

I wake up with a headache the size of Montgomery County and it takes me a moment to realize why.

That son-of-a-biatch!

How dare he tranq me? I remember waking up in the middle of the night just in time to feel three sharp pinpricks in my skin. I have tried tranquilizers enough to know their effects, and I know that Embry had emptied three tranq darts into my bloodstream while I was too unaware to stop him.

_ROAR!_

I startle awake at the sound and look behind me where I see a large cage containing three orange and black striped tigers. Two of them are male, the other female. A deer darts behind a tree near me, probably hoping to go unnoticed. The tigers stand near the cage doors, staring at me, the intruder.

I slowly get to my feet and walk closer to the small watering pond and take a drink to clear my throat of the phlegm that collected there during the night. Another roar sounds and this time I see that it is the female that is making all the noise.

Oh shut up dammit.

I hear something clicking, something that sounds like metal on metal, and I look up to see a guard walking on the sidewalk above us, clanking his keys together. Quickly getting an idea, with no plan but plenty of room to improvise, I shift back into my human form and curl into a ball, careful to conceal my naked state.

"Help! Can somebody please help me?"

I manage to drudge up a few tears and they soak my face, streaking the dirt caked on from my night spent sleeping on the ground.

"Is someone down there?"

"Yes! I'm down here!"

"What are you doing down there?"

"Never mind that, just help me get out of here!"

"Just one second." The guard descends a stairway leading to a door that opens into the enclave I'm presently sitting in. He walks over to me and, seeing what I'm not wearing, removes his jacket. "It's not much, but it should be long enough on you for the sake of modesty."

I notice the guard is an older man, probably from the days when men were kind and decent and didn't tranq their girlfriends when they were sleeping and stick them in cages at the zoo.

"Thank you Mr.- "

"Grimes. Jim Grimes. Call me Jimmy. What are you doing down here, little missy?"

Little missy? I refrain from making faces as I answer him. "I was hanging with some friends last night, and I think someone spiked my drink. I can't really remember anything except someone daring my friend Angie to climb in here. She wouldn't so I did…I don't remember why my clothes are gone…"

The man looked absolutely fooled by my explanation. "We should go to the police. Explain what happened."

"I'd rather not. Can't I just go home? I've got a terrible headache."

"Sure thing, sweetheart. Where do you live?"

"The Reservation outside Seattle."

"You mean like in Washington?"

"Unless there was another Seattle founded while I was out cold."

"Then what are you doing all the way out here?"

"Refresh my memory, please…where exactly is here?"

"Michigan."

"Right…my family was visiting an old friend. I came with them and decided I wanted to see the sights a bit more before I left. I was supposed to leave today. At least, I'm assuming it's today…is today still Saturday?"

"Yes, ma'am, it is. How about we get back to my house and I'll have the old girl find you some clothes. Were you going to drive home?"

"No I was actually supposed to take the bus. My cash is in my wallet in my…pants."

I look down and blush, causing Jimmy to blush as well. "That's alright. I'll get you your bus ticket, no problem."

"Are you sure, Jimmy?"

"Of course I'm sure. Let's get you out of the cold."

He lets me out of the enclave and we go to his house where his wife Lora-Lue fusses over me like a child. She lends me one of her old dresses and a band to tie my hair back with. The dress is blue with white daises littering the skirt with a tight bodice. Two strings fall at the side to tie in the back and tighten it around my waist. Spaghetti straps hold the top in place, and a small jacket completes the outfit. She gives me a pair of cheap flip flops to wear with it, but the underwear are too small, so I cannot fit in them. It feels odd walking around with no underwear, but I treat it as an adventure, and just go ith it. Jimmy takes me to the bus stop and buys my ticket. He also gives me a piece of paper with his name and phone number. "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to call."

"Jimmy, honestly I don't know how I can repay you for what you've done so far."

"You see, Erin, me and Lora-Lue, we don't have kids. We always wanted them and lord knows we tried, but…it just never happened for us. So I'll say it again. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call."

"Thanks again, Jimmy. Maybe I'll come visit."

"You do that, little one. And do it soon before I'm dead of old age and unexcitement."

"Now don't let your wife hear you say that, sir."

"I know it. Now go on, get gone."

I wrap my arms around him and hug him, and he hugs me back tightly. He smells of cigars and the zoo, but he feels like a…father.

When I get on the bus, I write down his address so I don't forget it and lean back to relax. At the first stop, I decide I can't sit still any longer, so I get off and find a deserted section of woods. I strip down and tie my new dress to my ankle, securing it with the band Lora-Lue had given me. It takes me a few times to get it secured because, other than watching the wolves run with their clothes on their ankles, I have no knowledge of how to secure my own. I shift and run as fast as I can back home.

The entire run I think about Embry, and the look he'll have on his face when he wakes up tonight to the sound of mewling and sees me prowling around on his front lawn. Maybe I'll pee in the flowerbed too…

I refuse to acknowledge that part of the reason he had locked me up in the first place was because, as a tiger, I have two impulses when it comes to the wolves. The first is to kill them and protect myself. That was what had led me to attack Embry. The second impulse is to play with them like a housecat would her toys. I can't seem to resist taunting them and teasing them, forcing them to give chase to me and slipping between their paws every time.

When I get home, it is almost four thirty. I walk inside, now fully clothed, and head to the kitchen. Justin is sitting at the kitchen table, silently chewing on waffles.

"Hey Shortie."

"Hello Erin."

I stop in my tracks. My brother never calls me Erin except when mom is around. I glance around to be sure, but she's not here. Is Justin mad at me? I sit down across the table from him.

"Something you want to say to me, big brother?"

"That depends. Isn't there something you want to tell me?"

"Nope. Nothing comes to mind."

"Cut the crap, Erin. We both know you were gone all last night. You don't call, you don't come home. You don't even have the decency to leave a note." He stands up and starts pacing back and forth in front of the cabinets.

"Yeah, I was gone. Yeah it was all night. No, I didn't leave a note or call home. What's your point?"

He turns to look at me like I've grown another head. "What's my point? What if something had happened to you? You could have been hurt or worse. Lucky for you I know where you were."

"Do you now? Well oh all seeing brother tell me, where was I last night?"

"You were with that little pissant Embry! Don't play dumb with me, Erin."

"Ha! The only reason I have to play dumb with you, Justin, is because that's the only way you listen to me. I wasn't even with Embry last night."

"That's not true and you know it! And don't lie to me, Erin."

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Justin. You may be my brother, but you are not my father and you are not in charge of me. You do not get to tell me what I can and can't do, and you do not get to punish me for anything.

"You're right, Erin. I'm not your father. Because unlike your father, I actually care enough about what happens to you to stick around. I'm going to tell our mother about this, and I suggest you work out some way to placate her, because if I have my way she'll ground you until you don't even know the meaning of the word 'fuck-buddy'."

His words cut me to the quick. I stand up slowly. "Wonderful. But just so you know, telling her won't do any good. I'm leaving. Go ahead; tell mom. But I hope I don't have to see you again until you leave. And after that, I hope I never have to set eyes on you ever again."

I walk to the door and shut it quietly on my way out of the house. The lock clicks and I know he can hear it. I walk to Erica's house, numb. My half-brother Justin and I have never fought like that. And for him to say what he did about my dad…that was just uncalled for.

I knock on Erica's door and she answers it. She takes one look at my tear streaked face and says, "Who's ass do I need to kick first?"

I chuckle/gasp/sob, and she wraps her arm around my shoulders and leads me inside and up the stairs to her room. She sits me down on her bed and suddenly the tears don't want to be stopped, and I can't hold them back. My body is wracked with shivers and she wraps a blanket around me and rocks me until I quit the hysterics.

When I am finally able to quiet down, she retrieves a cola from her mini fridge and hands it to me, telling me to drink it in small sips.

I tell her my story, leaving nothing out. Erica is one of the few people in the world who may ever know my secret. As little girls, we used to play at my grandmother's house, and she would tell us stories and write scripts of our histories to reenact. She used to call us her 'little sunshines'. When we turned ten, Erica finally discovered the truth to the legends. It wasn't until my thirteenth birthday that I discovered the whole truth as well.

Erica wipes my tears and says the one thing I want to hear least. "You have to tell Embry."

"I can't tell him the secret, Rica. You know that."

"Did you mate him?"

"Well…yes."

"And do you love him?"

"I think so…"

"Then you have to tell him. And you also need to tell him about your brother. And your father."

"I can't do all that, Rica. It's too soon. The man locked me in a zoo."

"He didn't know it was you." She has a point…

"But still…"

"Chica, I know you're afraid. But honey, listen to me; you love this boy. You need to trust him. I went through the same thing with Cameron. Hell, we still have issues. But we can admit that we love each other. And that helps us work out the semantics for everything else."

I sniffle. I hate it when Erica starts sounding philosophical. It's hard to resist her when she does.

"Honey, are you pregnant?"

I look at her wide-eyed. That's impossible! I think back to the last time I had my period which was…almost eight weeks ago. I'm never this late…

"Do you happen to have a pregnancy test lying around?"

"Yeah, my mom and Greg have been trying to get preggers lately. Frankly it's disturbing. Wait here."

She leaves and comes back in a few moments. We go to the bathroom and I pee on the little stick. I close my eyes and hold it up. "I can't look. What do you see?"

"For your future? A little girl. Possibly a little boy. As for now? You're preggers, Erin. Congratulations."

I open my eyes wide and stare at the little pink strip. I'm pregnant… I'm a pregnant teenager? That just makes my day!

"I hate him! He torments my thoughts, he tranqs me, he locks me in a zoo, and then he has the nerve to go and get me pregnant! I hate him!"

"Telling yourself that does not change your current state, my friend."

I sigh with feeling. She's right and I know it. There really is nothing to it then. "If I love him; I trust him. And I do love him. I may not like him, but I do love him. Hell, the boy's a wolf! I'm sure he'll understand. And if not…then he's a hypocrite." I sound like I'm trying to convince myself, and I know it.

"Exactly. And then maybe you'll fall for a nice Makah boy instead, hmmm?"

"Oh please. I'd rather try my luck with the pale faces."

We laugh and she hands me the phone. "Are you going to tell Embry that you're pregnant?"

"These things are wrong sometimes, aren't they? I want to be sure before I worry him. Maybe I'll get a second opinion before I do. I think with what I've got to tell him right now, he may just get a panic attack and settle the question for me."

I dial Embry's number, the one I had memorized by heart, and wait until he picks up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Embry, it's me, Erin."

"Hey, Erin; I didn't recognize this number."

"It's my friend Erica's phone. Listen, I have something I need to tell you. Would you mind skipping dinner tonight?"

"Of course I don't mind. Erin, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, sure. But don't go to my house."

"Where do I go then?"

"Got a pen handy? I'll give you the address."

He writes down the address to Erica's house and we say goodbye. I can tell Embry is anxious, and I know I'm not helping by not giving him any clues. I have about ten minutes left before he gets here.

"How's my makeup?"

"You look beautiful."

We walk downstairs and I give Erica her blanket back before going outside to wait for Embry. He rides into the driveway very quickly, and I go down the steps to meet him.

I hold out my hand to him. "Park the bike. Let's take a walk."

He parks and gets off the bike, taking my hand and entwining his fingers with mine. I lead him into the forest, and as we walk I study him. Embry looks mostly calm. His T-shirt outlines the muscles in his back and shoulders and his jeans hug his hips and thighs. He's extremely warm, just like always.

"Do you have a perpetual fever or something?"

He laughs, the sound sending shivers down my spine. "No, I just have a very high body temperature. For me, it's normal." He squeezes my hand and twists me so that his arm is now thrown over my shoulder and I'm tucked in close to his side. "Now what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

I clear my throat and stop walking, releasing his hold on me. I take a few steps away from him and turn back to face him. "I know your secret, Embry."

He looks confused. "What secret is it you think you know?"

"I know you're a…werewolf. A shape shifter."

"For argument's sake, let's say that I am a werewolf. How do you know?"

"Because I saw your friend change. And I saw you as a humongous dog."

He looks like I might finally be getting through to his thick skull. "And what do you intend to do with that knowledge?"

"Tell you my secret."

Watching his facial expressions still, I see that he again looks confused. "Go on; I'm listening."

"I'm a shape shifter too, Embry."

He rolls his eyes and starts walking away and I follow him. "Dammit, Embry, you're a werewolf. Don't you think it's at all possible for me to be somewhat the same?"

"No, I don't. And I'm not a werewolf."

Ugh! Dumb male… I stop walking and strip off my dress, throwing it onto the ground as I shift and land on all four paws. I take a few running steps and jump off the side of a tree, landing in front of Embry, whom I'm pleased to note looks as if he is about to pee in his pants.

Slowly he puts his hands in the air and looks me over from my nose to my tail. He carefully extends one hand toward me and I rub my nose on it.

"Okay, why don't you start walking on two legs and we can talk this over. I'm listening now."

I nod my head in satisfaction and change back. Walking to my dress and picking it up, I turn around in time to see Embry staring at my ass. Quickly, I put the dress back over my head and let it settle around my legs.

He's still staring at me in shock, and I can tell he's waiting for me to say something. Holding the jacket in my hand, I walk to a nearby log which had been cut down and left lying for the moss to grow. Suddenly I wih I had thought to keep Lora=Lue's sandals. Sitting down, I pat the log beside me and he sits down. I turn to face him, and he looks at me expectantly.

"How many Makah legends do you know?"

"None that I can think of off hand."

"Well in that case, let me tell you a story.

A long time ago, before the pale faces showed up, my people were simple. We farmed, we fished, and we hunted. Your people, the Quileute, were our allies. We knew the other tribes feared your connection to the spirit world. Eventually we began to fear it ourselves. The tribal council, afraid of becoming your enemies, sent people to your village with gifts, in the hopes of learning your secrets. It was not very hard; your people were very open, and were aware of the happy friendship between the tribes.

So we learned. We developed a connection to the spirit world for ourselves. When we were glimpsed, your people mistook us for their ancestors. Then your people began taking the form of the wolf. One night, a shaman named Omnak'yu was visited in a dream by the goddess A'Yalea. She told him of creatures the color of the sun, just before sunset, with black battle stripes and eyes so bright that they could see any truth, even when it was hidden.

Omnak'yu shared his news with the council, and they devoted all of their energy into becoming this creature. We tired of the constant search for the magnificent animal, and eventually gave up. Our land was overthrown by a people more powerful than ours, and we were forced south, into what is now South America. Our people barely adapted, and one day our tribe was attacked by the creature from the shaman's dream. Again, our quest to become this creature was renewed, and eventually we succeeded. Six of our most powerful warriors were accepted into the tiger's body, and with time, they were able to become one being.

We traveled back to our lands and, with the help of our six warrior brothers, we took back our land. The people had few women, no children, and no elderly. Everyone was killed.

We lived in peace for a few years, and some of our people moved to other villages. The tigers were kept a secret to such an extent that they became almost hermits. A young girl was captured from beyond the village boundaries one day. By the time the council found out, the tigers were unable to catch her scent, and therefore could not bring her back. The people mourned her for several years for she was a beautiful girl, both inside and out and well loved. Her name was Añana.

Many of the tigers mated and discovered that, even if they had several children, only one would receive the tiger's essence. One day, a man came to the village. He claimed to be Añana's child. No one believed him, claiming that he was a tribe less outcast, or a spy from an enemy tribe, or simply mistaken. So he shifted. When the people found a giant white, heavily muscled tiger with bright blue eyes, they were stunned. Needless to say, they listened.

He explained to them that Añana had been one of the few, besides the 'Chosen Six', as they had come to be called, that was able to enter the spirit world. The tribe that had captured her had taken her away to a place perpetually covered in a blanket of snow. She was raped repeatedly, and kept in a cage like a bird. They toyed with her, and gave her pain to give themselves pleasure. In a dream, she too had been visited by A'Yalea, who gave her instructions on how to escape her cruel incarceration. When she awoke, a female tiger was outside her cage.

Using the goddess's instructions, she and the tiger merged souls. In this way, she escaped and killed all those who had helped to keep her imprisoned. There was one man who had tried to help her, but had been punished for his trouble. She spared his life, and they fell in love and had a child; the man who later returned to Añana's village after her death.

The Chosen Six accepted his story as the truth and the people followed suit. They gave him the honor of pack leader. When he mated and his child was born, it did not have the essence of the tiger. His second child did. She became pack leader. The two fought, and eventually she was forced to kill her elder brother who had threatened to tell the Quileute tribe, who were still our allies, about our deception. Every descendent of Añana's to have the gene has become pack leader.

Mostly, everyone in my tribe believes that the legend is just a bunch of bull. It's the best way to hide I suppose; in plain sight. My family doesn't even know about my second life."

Embry looks like he is in shock. It is a bit much to take in, I suppose. I had thirteen years to absorb the information. He's just received it all in five minutes. But he's still sitting here, so I continue.

"My father was the local drunk. He met my mom when she moved here with her husband and her two young children. He and my mother started having an affair. He got her pregnant. My mother and her husband's sex life was still very active, so he assumed it was his child. She never told him differently. The night I was born, her husband was in a car accident on the way to the hospital.

My mother got a paternity test because she wanted to be sure, and it turned out that my father really was her lover; not her husband. They were married a few months later, and he moved into our house. She took care of us all, and she enjoyed it. One day he just left. I was five. I found a letter a few years later addressed to my mom in one of her drawers. It was from my father. The things he had written had given me nightmares for weeks.

Her sons alternately resented me and took pity on me. Matthew was usually annoyed with me, but if I ever needed him, he was ready and willing to help me with whatever it was. I think he blamed me for the death of his father. Justin rarely got annoyed with me. He was the older of the two, and I suppose he just didn't think I was the reason his father had his accident. Though I think subconsciously Matthew knew that it wasn't true as well.

My father passed me the gene. He had stopped believing in his own abilities later in life, but he did truly love my mother. That's the only reason I was ever even born. He just didn't love me or the life he led with my mother. In fact, he hated it."

I stop speaking, relatively sure I might have just said too much. Embry looks down at the ground and doesn't say anything for a few moments. "Erin…that's a lot to take in."

"I know that, Embry. But I'm not sure how else to tell you."

"Why are you telling me at all?"

"First answer my question. Do you think that maybe you'll ever fall in love with me?"

I've managed to shock him again. Poor guy, he really is too easily surprised.

"Erin, I'm already a little in love with you. I have been since I saw you."

I get up and start pacing in front of him. "I don't mean lust, Embry. I mean love."

"So do I. Erin, if I was just in lust with you, my feelings would have lessened in these last few weeks. But they haven't. They've gotten stronger. Why are you so worried?" He gets up and walks toward me and holds my arms which I have crossed over my chest. "Do you love me?"

I look up at his face which he has lowered to be directly in my line of sight. "Yes. I do."

He smiles, and I suddenly feel like I've been stressing over nothing. Everything's going to be fine. He wraps his arms around me and I do the same. For a while, we just stand like that, arms intertwined with my head resting on his shoulder and his on my head.

"Hey, don't cry, sweetheart. I'm a wolf. I can deal with you being a tiger."

I laugh and look up at him, wiping my tears. "They're happy tears. And you'd better be able to deal with it. If not, I'll sic my pack on you. And then I'll sit back and watch."

He chuckles like he doesn't believe me, and I decide not to tell him about Erica's offer from earlier.

"You hungry?"

"Yeah, actually. I could go for some Mexican right about now."

"Then let's go." He leads me back to his bike, and before we climb on, I reach back and slug his arm as hard as I can.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"That was for locking me in the zoo."

He grins and leans down to peck me on the lips. Climbing onto his bike, we ride to Seattle, and I reflect that maybe sometimes real people have happy endings. Hopefully, Embry and I can still have ours.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Not done yet! Review and I'll keep writing! = )


	8. Answers lead to Questions

**Author's Note: **Oay, so it took me a while to get this one up (only because my stupid computer is a bi-atch) but it shouldn't take me so long to get the next one. Definite plot tremors coming up (as in...misdirection anyone?). So read, review, tell me what you think (you know you want to!). Kudos to everyone who's reviewed so far = )

*StevesFifi...didn't get to your questions yet, but I should be answering them next chappy...that is assuming of course that Erin and Embry are still talking to me = )

OK on to actual story!

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**EmPOV**

I think I'm in shock. What are the early warning signs of a panic attack?

"Erin…this is a lot to take in."

My girlfriend is a tiger. My girlfriend is a freaking shape shifting tiger! How did I not see this coming earlier?

"I know that, Embry. But I'm not sure how else to tell you."

"Why are you telling me at all?"

"First answer my question. Do you think that maybe you'll ever fall in love with me?"

Her question shocks me. My head jerks up involuntarily and I feel my eyes widen as I stare at her. Her eyes hold a mixture of bemusement, fear, curiosity, and something else that I can't put a name to.

"Erin, I'm already a little in love with you. I have been since I saw you."

Shouldn't that be obvious? It's been two months and I'm practically obsessed with her. I haven't been able to get Erin off my mind in so long, I can't remember ever not having her in residence up there.

"I don't mean lust, Embry. I mean love."

"So do I. Erin, if I was just in lust with you, my feelings would have lessened in these last few weeks. But they haven't. They've gotten stronger. Why are you so worried?" It occurs to me that she's asked me all of these questions, but she hasn't given me anything to hope for. "Do you love me?" My heart racing, I stand holding her arms, waiting for her answer.

I swear my heart stops and she finally looks into my eyes and tells me what I want to hear most. "Yes. I do."

I can feel my lips spreading into a smile the width of my face and I wrap her in my arms, squeezing tightly. My heartbeat slows and my stomach no longer feels as if it is about to rebel. We stay there for long minutes, just holding each other; a remarkably sentimental thing to do; one I would not have considered a few months ago, and one that I now relish.

I notice a sudden wetness spreading across my shirt from where her head rests on my shoulder. "Hey, don't cry, sweetheart. I'm a wolf. I can deal with you being a tiger."

She laughs at me, the sound wholehearted and relieved. "They're happy tears. And you'd better be able to deal with it. If not, I'll sic my pack on you. And then I'll sit back and watch."

I know she is probably serious, but I chuckle anyway and change the subject. "You hungry?"

"Yeah, actually. I could go for some Mexican right about now."

"Then let's go." I lead her back to my bike, and before we climb on, she reaches back and slugs my arm, hard.

"Ouch! What was that for?" I bet I'll be bruised. Not that I'll let her know that.

"That was for locking me in the zoo."

I grin at her and peck her lips before climbing on. She straddles my bike, and I suppress the image of her doing the same to me. Wrapping her arms around me, she squeezes me tight, and I suddenly feel like the hero in a John Wayne movie, about to ride off with the girl, into the sunset. I remind myself that this may not be the end of our troubles, but I resolve to enjoy the night for the time being.

When we get to Seattle, I locate the restaurant I had planned to take Erin to on our date tonight. We are seated by the host who takes our drink orders and leaves, promising return in a few minutes.

I keep watching the way the bodice of Erin's dress cups her so lovingly, but watching the dress only makes my hands itch to do the same. When the waiter brings our drinks, I watch her sip at her tea. I imagine her doing the same to my…well, you know. Attempting to distract myself from her body, I speak.

"So why didn't you tell me about your secret before?"

Her eyes widen and she looks around carefully. "Here?"

"Why not?"

She rolls her eyes and relaxes back into her seat. Her legs cross and her foot brushes against my thigh. I try to concentrate on her words, but my cock is making itself known again.

"Would you have believed me before?" I shrug and my silence is enough of an answer for her. "Besides, I wasn't sure there was need. I had feelings for you, but I wasn't sure if…well if you felt the same."

"You weren't sure when you told me this afternoon in the clearing, either."

"No, I wasn't. But it was eating me alive from the inside out not being able to tell you. I couldn't take it anymore. Plus the fact, I figured that with you being a werewolf there really wasn't that much worry about you telling anyone. Of course my backup plan would have been to feed you to the tigers."

"The expression is actually 'feed you to the wolves', dear."

"I know. I was hoping you'd appreciate the irony."

I can't help but laugh at her as her eyes crinkle and the corners of her lips tilt up. She sticks out her tongue at me, her wet pink tongue giving me more images in my head that I'm trying my damndest to ignore.

"Why don't you tell me about your pack? You seem pretty close."

"Well that would be because we are. I'm assuming it's the same with your pack, but ours has this sort of…mind link. When in our other forms we can hear each other's thoughts. It is somewhat disturbing at times, I will admit."

"Tell me about it. I practically drive Leah crazy with some of my memories. And because the guys can see my memories as well, I have to listen to their opinions and comments as well."

"Ouch. Lucky for me, my pack and I rarely shift, or need to shift. Personally, I haven't done so since my grandmother died."

"How long ago was that?"

"About five years. I loved her very much. When my mother was too busy to notice me, my father was too drunk to be bothered and my brothers were too uninterested to care, she took care of me. Hell, my grandmother practically raised me."

"So were you trained to be a shape shifter? I mean, how does that work?"

"I'm my father's only child. My grandmother knew I was the only chance that the gene had survived. So she bred me with the legends of the people. She told them to me as bedtime stories, cited them to me as history, exemplified them as law, and quoted them to me as if they were the most precious literature ever scribed. And to her, they were."

"How many of you are there?"

"Well, there are just the seven of us. Like I said, when one mates and has children, only one child gets the gene. There've been only seven since Añana. For right now, there is me, five other girls, and one guy. Everyone at our school calls him a lucky bastard because he gets to hang out with all of us girls so often, and he's not gay. They probably wouldn't envy him so much if they knew how often he had to listen to us complain when we were adolescent and hormonal. Although to be fair, he bitched just as much as any of us."

We laugh together, at the expense of her pack mate. "Why do you keep saying 'mates and has children'? What do you mean?"

She looks slightly uncomfortable at the mention of kids. I wonder why. "A member of our pack has to perform two obligations before he or she can have kids. They have to fall and love and have sex, in whichever order. After that, then they can create life together. Sex with anyone else, even without protection, would be useless. Granted we could still get pleasure; just useless for having kids I mean."

I wonder why Erin seems so nervous. Did I say something wrong? Am I asking too many questions?

The waitress finally arrives to take our orders, and we decide to order shrimp, chicken, and steak fajitas and quesa la flamiata.

"What happens if you don't mate?"

"No kids; no legacy. If the tiger doesn't reproduce, then the next cycle would have only six pack members."

"Has that ever happened before?"

"Thankfully, no, and I'd rather it didn't start while I am head of the pack."

"Am I asking too many questions?"

"No, why?"

"Because you seem upset, and I'm not sure what I said."

"It's nothing you did, Embry. I just saw one of my brother's friends. Justin and I had a fight earlier today about how I stayed out all last night. He said a few things and I said a few things… Anyway, it got ugly."

I don't think that's all she's worried about, but I don't want to push it. "Do you want to leave; go somewhere else?"

"No, it's okay. I don't think he's seen me, and besides, he's distracted."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Not really. It's not that I mind telling you, Embry. I just don't really want to talk about it right now."

"You sure?"

"Yes…no…I don't know." She sits staring at her hands folded neatly on the table. "He said some things about…you and me...our relationship."

"Go on."

"Do you remember the night about a week ago when we fought?"

"You mean the night you took a bite out of my arm?"

"Look, I'm sorry about that, but you were following me and I was scared. My fight stance is closer to the surface than my flight stance. I thought you were one of the other wolves. I didn't know why you were trying to catch me. Besides, I came back the next day to see if you were alright, but I ran into Leah and two others. They chased me away."

"Yeah that was Leah, Quil, and Jake. And why would you be afraid of any of us?"

"I don't know any of them. I had just witnessed your friend turn into a giant black wolf and chase after me. Hell, I thought he wanted to eat me- and not in the pleasant way either."

"Sam? He wouldn't have eaten you. None of us would have."

"Embry, in case you haven't noticed. You're all huge, furry, with big teeth, and humongous claws. I didn't think it wise to get on two feet and try to talk it out. How was I supposed to know?"

"I guess you really couldn't have. Oh well, I don't hold a grudge anyway. It's already healed, with not even a scar. See?" I lift up my sleeve and she inspects the skin, noting with a pleased expression the smooth quality of the area.

"Anyway the night I did that, I went home. My brother was there and normally he's the one person in my family I can talk to. So I told him about my feelings for you. And I told him we were sleeping together. And I also told him that I wasn't a virgin when you and I started…well, you know."

I know exactly what she is referring to, and visions from our night in the hotel room start wafting across my brain. The bed, the dresser, the bedroom floor, the shower, the bathroom floor… Erin was definitely not a virgin when we met, but some strange possessive part of me wants to know the names and addresses of every guy she's ever been with so that I can hunt them down and beat them to a pulp. Or better yet, I can phase and chew them up with my teeth and then spit them out and leave them for the vultures to find. I shake my head to dislodge the pleasant images and refocus on the subject of discussion.

"And…?"

"And he…degraded what we have together. Or at least what I think we have. He…he called us fuckbuddies."

Blots of red cloud my vision and I am tempted to storm off and track down her brother to maim him. I doubt Erin would stop me. Although the common sense lodged in a corner of my brain warns me that to do so would be to earn her censure later.

"He uhm…he also insinuated that I slept around a lot. He thinks of me as nothing more than a slut."

Again I see red, and I have to hold my breath and force myself to relax. It takes a few minutes for me to get my shaking under control, and Erin looks at me as if she is not sure if she should continue.

"There's something else." I know that's not the only thing that's hurting her right now.

She again refuses to meet my eyes and speaks to her hands, gripping each other so tightly that her knuckles have turned white. "I guess I already knew my father never really loved me, otherwise he wouldn't have left. But…to hear Justin say so… Justin never really loved me. He only looked after me out of pity and obligation. Matthew pretty much hates me. My mother tries her best to pretend I don't exist unless she's trying to impress her friends. My own father abandoned me. I don't know what I've done wrong."

I switch sides in the booth and sit next to her, draping my arm over her shoulder and pulling her closer to my side. She leans into me and sobs into my shirt while I hold her in my arms and rock back and forth, grateful for the secluded booth in the back of the restaurant.

Finally the tremors leave her body. "You've never done anything to deserve what your brother said. You've never done anything to deserve Matthew's disrespect, your mother's ignorance, or your father's disappearance. It sounds cheesy, but it's not your fault. I love you, Erin. And I'll make sure no one ever treats you like he did again. Trust me."

She looks up into my eyes and for a second I feel an intense connection, something I've never felt before. Then she hiccups and the moment is broken. We laugh quietly. "I love you too," she says.

My heart soars with her words and I flex my arms around her in a hug before releasing her and moving to return to my side of the booth.

"Where are you going?"

I point. "My chair."

"Stay here." She holds my forearm and I really have no desire to leave her side, so I remain seated.

Her lips meet mine in a soft kiss, completely chaste, and by the time I realize she wants me to respond, her lips are gone. I move in close, following hers, but she giggles, something I've never heard her do, and pushes me slightly away.

"Later."

I grin at her. Fine. But I silently swear that later, she'll be begging me for _now._

Eventually the waitress brings our food and we eat in companionable silence. When we finish the meal, she asks me, "Where to now?"

"Well we could stick to our original plan and go catch a movie. We could go to the amusement park that opened up earlier this summer. We could ride around until we found something to do or somewhere to go."

"Let's try the movie."

I pay the cashier for our food and we leave, myself climbing onto my bike and Erin climbing on to ride behind me. As I navigate the streets, my attention is sadly divided between the road ahead of me and the girl behind me. How is it possible for one person to harbor so much uncertainty? Erin has been through a lot, and though I'm not particularly in touch with my emotional side, she seems to have cut herself up by thinking she's unlovable. I could kill her brothers for that alone. What the hell could be more important to a mother than her daughter? And her father? He wasn't happy being mated to a beautiful woman, I'm assuming she's beautiful based on her daughter's looks, and a child for five years so suddenly he just leaves? What the hell kind of man does that?

Of course, her brothers were there for her on occasion. Erin said they did it out of pity and obligation, but for eighteen years? There has to be something else there, right? Was her mother still feeling the loss of her second husband all these years later? Could that be why she tries to avoid my Erin? Maybe Erin resembles her father a little too much. Why did her father leave? He wrote a note that her mother kept, and it was enough to give Erin nightmares. What did it say?

We arrive at the theater and I park. We walk in and I pay for the tickets, promising Erin that she can buy the popcorn. See, I can be fair. As we walk to the concession stand, I feel her muscles tense and she freezes. Her eyes are wide and angry, her jaw is set, and her hands are balled into fists.

"What's wrong?"

"You remember that friend of my brother's that was at the restaurant?"

"Yeah, why?"

"He's here."

I turn and look around, and there he is, holding popcorn and two drinks, standing outside the door to the women's bathroom.

"Do you want to leave?"

"Yes, I do. But we have to be sneaky. I don't want him following us again."

"How do you suggest we get out of here sneakily?"

"I'll tell you when I know."

With that, she buys a medium sized popcorn and we walk to our theater. We don't have to wait long before the lights dim, and as they do I scan the room once. Her brother's friend is sitting in one of the back rows, close to the door. If we try to leave he'll see us.

I turn back around and whisper to Erin, careful not to look like I'm speaking. She nods her head slowly, and stares up at the movie screen. Unsure what else I can do, I do the same, trying to concentrate. The film was pegged an action flick and was supposed to be very good. I wouldn't know.

Probably about halfway through the movie, I felt Erin slide her hand slowly up my leg from my knee to my hip. Still unsure what she's doing, but not wanting her to stop, I stay still and she repeats the slow movements of her hand. Erin leans into me until the armrest is nothing but a bad memory.

"I promised you later. Wanna get out of here?"

For a second I'm not sure if she remembers her brother's friend. Then I look at her eyes and comprehension dawns. She kisses me, her tongue tracing the line between my lips and her teeth nibbling on my lower one. When I open to her, to my disappointment, she speaks.

"As much as I'd love to keep this going, we really do need to leave."

"I'm aware of that. You told me you would tell me if you thought of a plan. So tell me, how do we make it to the fire escape?" Our only escape…

"Did you ever watch Chasing Liberty?"

"No, why?"

"Because you are about to be living it. When I put my hand on your neck, I want you to slide sideways off the chair and lean back until you are laying on the ground. OK?"

"Alright." I lean in and really kiss her, and her hand moves to touch my chest, my shoulder, and my thighs, and I almost end our kiss to ask if she remembers where she's supposed to touch me. But then her hand reaches up and cups my neck. She starts to slowly slide sideways off of her seat and I follow, still kissing her lips. When I lay back on the ground, Erin continues to lick at my teeth and suck at my tongue, squirming on top of me. I hold her hips, my fingers pressed into the soft skin of her ass, and try to stop her from wiggling against my already excited cock.

"Erin…" Her name escapes me on a groan and she stops kissing me. When I look up she's grinning at me. She winks and gestures for me to follow her. She crawls up my body and for a few tantalizing moments I'm looking up, directly at her breasts, then her smooth flat stomach, then the apex of her legs where her short denim shorts meet. Then she is gone, and so I roll over onto my hands and knees and crawl after her. I find myself unable to look at where I put my hands and knees to check for sticky spots and popcorn. Instead I stare at her hot little ass swaying suggestively as she crawls away from me.

When we finally escape the theater, we hop onto my bike. "Where to next?"

"I know a little hotel a few miles down the road. Want to go?"

"Wonderful."

I speed away and she leans over me periodically, giving me directions. We make it to a small town outside Seattle, one we had not passed the first night we rode together on this bike. I wait outside while she arranges for a room for the two of us, and she comes back with a card key. I park outside our room and we race up the stairs. She unlocks the door and pushes me inside, throwing the card onto the dresser top. I do the same with my keys and turn to her just in time to watch the dress slip off of her body and pool on the floor.

Examining her body, my lips curl appreciatively and she crooks her little finger. That is all the encouragement I need, and I step forward, making short work of removing my own clothing. Pulling her close and wrapping my arms around her, I kiss her with all the emotion pent up inside of my body.

She pushes me back onto the bed and grips the base of my cock in her hot little hand, scraping her teeth over the head and moaning hot breaths onto me. Slowly, she sucks me into her mouth, the feeling so exquisite I feel my balls tighten and I'm strongly tempted to thrust up into her. She moves her hand to cup and massage my balls, releasing me long enough to say, "You taste so good, Embry…"

Erin arches her back and rubs her nipples against my balls and the base of my dick. The sensation is coupled with her sucking me all the way into her mouth. I can feel her throat muscles working as she swallows on me, and I can see her jerking as she gags on me. This time I'm unable to control the impulse to thrust up into her mouth, and as my body jerks upward she groans and sucks hard, greedily. I look down into her eyes and watch her head start bobbing up and down, faster and faster. Her mouth working over my dick is driving me insane, and I know I'm going to jizz if she keeps doing that. I tell her so and she smiles, slows down, and starts the torturous process all over again. The thought sneaks into my head that this is the best head I've ever gotten.

Taking my dick out of her mouth, she wraps her tits around it and rubs them up and down along the length of it before letting go and again sucking the head of my cock into her mouth. I hear her moan loudly, and I feel her hot breath on my skin. She releases me long enough to say, "Baby, I want your cum. I want to taste it. Give it to me, Embry!" She spits on my cock and sucks me into her mouth again, digging her nails into my thighs and again massaging my balls in her hand.

Unable to control myself any longer, I relax my muscles and shoot, exploding with a big load of hot thick, creamy sperm, my dick throbbing in her hand. She stares, watching the tip burst, pumping out my white, warm semen, shooting into her mouth. It splatters her tongue and rolls down her throat, very sticky and warm. She enters one finger into her mouth and withdraws some of my semen, opening her mouth so that I can see the rest pooled on her tongue before she swallows it all. She covers my nipples in my own sperm and licks it off, sucking on my nipples and biting on them gently.

Pushing me onto the bed, she crawls up my body and kisses me on the mouth. I taste myself on her, and it's so arousing I can feel myself growing hard again as she sits on my chest and rubs her wet juicy pussy on me. Erin scoots back and rubs herself directly on my semi-erect cock, and I'm fully hard again, ready to take her as hard as I can. Apparently realizing my newfound urgency, she slides her hand over my cock, coating me with a thin layer of latex, before also sliding herself over me, fitting us together like a hand and a very silky, warm glove. Her legs spread and her feet pressed firmly against the mattress, she bounces up and down on me, slapping my thighs with her ass on every downward thrust. I feel as if I'm going insane. I'm moaning with every new movement she makes, and I know that I probably won't last much longer, even though we just started.

"Oooohhh fuu..uucc…ckkkk yessssss!"

She slams down hard one last time before climbing off of me. I mourn the loss of her sheath, but she returns seconds later, facing away from me with her knees positioned beside my hips. She squirms a bit, circling her hips, creating friction. Erin slowly slides up until the head of my cock is all that's left inside her. Suddenly, she drops down hard and fast. The surprising act jolts me, and I grip her legs, tensing as she does it again and again. Her muscles squeeze me deliciously, and she fucks me harder and faster. She's so tight and warm and wet, I close my eyes and wrench them open again, loving watching her juicy ass bouncing in front of me. I lower my eyes slightly and wish I hadn't; I have a decadent view of my cock entering her pussy that's so erotic, my resolve to not cum first wavers. I love the way she feels clenching around me. She could make me cum all night!

"Ooooh, Embry, you fill me up so good. I'm going to cum with your cock in my pussy, baby."

Her words excite me, even as I feel her nails sink into my legs. She reaches back to cup my balls while she slams onto my cock, and it feels so damn good.

"Mmmmmmm, baby, fill up my pussy, baby, cum in my fucking wet pussy. I want your sweet, sexy cum. Oooohhh damnit, yesssssssssss."

With that, my release courses through me. My tip explodes and starts shooting and pumping warm, sticky cum into her.

"Ooooooooooooooooooooooooohhh, baby, I'm cumming!"

I feel her pussy clench around me. It has a death grip on my cock, and she squirts her warm juices onto me while I continue to shoot into her.

When we are both satiated, though not necessarily clean, we cuddle together and fall to rest. Erin's body is warm and smooth, and I lightly trace patterns on her skin.

A lot has happened today, and I feel…odd. I woke up this morning and now I feel…lighter, happier. It's like I've been carrying a backpack full of stones, and I just dropped the extra weight.

Thinking about the past few days, I know without a doubt that I really do love Erin; more so than anything or anyone else in my life. I feel like my world is hinged on her happiness and nothing more. But she's not my imprint…she can't be. I would've felt this stronger the first time I'd seen her.

And what will Sam and the council do once they find out about Erin's pack? Will they try to kill Erin and her friends? Or will they simply overlook it? There's no way to keep the secret from them. Unless I stop shifting. It occurs to me to that she hadn't said anything earlier about an extended life term, so she probably doesn't know it's possible. If I'm going to stay with her, then I'll have to stop shifting; permanently.

I drift off into sleep, my mind running circles around itself. My body finally surrenders, my mind conjuring images of a happy, older couple with a few kids running around the yard of a large house, surrounded by trees and flowers and natural beauty. Somewhere in the foggy recesses of my mind, I realize I'm dreaming about Erin and myself, and the future I want for us together.

_**Next Day**_

**ErPOV**

I wake up to the sound of water running, and realize that Embry is in the shower. A few seconds later, the water stops flowing, the pipes squeaking, and my burgeoning hopes for shower sex disappear. Embry comes out of the bathroom in no shirt and unfortunately wearing shorts and boxers.

"Good morning. I was going to wake you up, but I figured you needed the rest."

"Well, you did do your best to wear me out last night."

He looks at me sheepishly. "Did it work?"

I pretend to consider. Truthfully, I had more fun last night than I ever have. I had woken him at around midnight, and he had decided it was time to drive me crazy. This led to an hour of foreplay and maybe three minutes of really hot sex. Okay, five minutes tops. "You know what? Yeah, I think it worked. In fact, it worked so well that I really don't want to get up. But I do need a shower. You may have to carry me."

"We have to leave pretty soon. But what kind of guy would I be if I didn't carry you to the shower?"

He walks over to me and lifts my body up, bridal style. Cuddling me close, he carries me into the bathroom where he sets me down on the sink. "How hot do you like it?"

"Just set the water. I'll adjust it if I need to."

"Okay." He did as I asked and took the three steps necessary to reach me before leaning down and kissing me hungrily.

He finally stops eating at my mouth, and I let go of his shoulders that I had grabbed, knowing that he wants me to hurry up so that we can leave before check out.

"Now THAT is what I call a 'good morning'."

He grins cockily, and I realize I have just boosted his ego, yet again. I really should stop doing that before his head gets too big for his body. And I do like how proportional it currently is. In fact I like the proportions on all parts of his body…

I wake myself from that train of thought and hop off the counter, jumping under the spray and wetting myself down. I don't have to adjust the heat at all; he set it perfectly. I quickly wash with the hotel's soap and shampoo/conditioner, and dry myself. Entering the bedroom, I see Embry leaning back against the headboard, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling.

"Does our ceiling hold the secret of the universe?"

"No, but I was hoping it would answer a few of my questions."

"Well maybe I can help with that." I walk over and sit next to him and he throws an arm over my shoulder, tucking me into his side. "So ask me."

"I was just thinking about Sam."

"And…?"

"And your pack. I don't know for sure what he'll say or do. Frankly I'm afraid he'll issue the same orders he gave to us about you when he thought you were a plain tiger."

"Which were what?"

"He said we either had to make you leave, or kill you."

"Oh…So you're saying he would've eaten me!"

He looks at me and chuckles a bit. "No, he wouldn't have eaten you first. He would have tried to trap you into leaving. But if there's a whole pack of you, and you aren't just ordinary tigers… I don't know."

"Okay, so I can't help you with that question because I don't know Sam enough to guess. But, we can go to him together and tell him. I'm sure he can be rational. And if not, we kick his ass."

"There are so many things wrong with that plan."

I jerk up in affront. "What's wrong with it, exactly?"

"Well one, Sam is rigid. If you tell him and he makes a decision, he won't change his mind. If we go together, he could also just decide to make one of the others capture you, and then use you as leverage to make your pack leave. And kicking his ass? He's my alpha. I'd have to phase to fight him, and he can just command me to either stop fighting him, or to just start fighting you."

Slightly mollified, I breathe slowly and settle into his side again, plotting. "Okay fine, so that plan's out. What if I go alone?"

"Are you kidding? Did you not hear what I just said?"

"No, I heard you. But if I go alone, he can't make you harm me. He may be more amenable to reason, especially if I catch him with Emily around. I can kick his ass more easily than you. It's a good idea."

"No, it's not. There are dozens of ways that plan could go wrong and get you hurt or killed. I don't want you fighting with my pack, Erin."

"And if there's no other choice? If Sam and the council won't accept us? What then, Embry? Will you fight for us?"

I can tell it pains him to even have to think of the possibility, but he doesn't withdraw. "I will fight for you, Erin. No matter who I have to fight against, I'll do it for you. But that doesn't mean I'm letting you go there alone or at all and set yourself up for an ambush. My pack isn't a bunch of wimpy puppies. They've all killed before. Do you get what I'm saying, Erin? I will not let you get injured because of something I could have prevented."

"I understand that, Embry." I put my hand on his chest. "But either we go together, or we don't go at all."

He looks down into my eyes. "What if we just go away?"

"Embry, I couldn't ask you to leave your family."

"You don't have to. If we leave, then Sam and the council don't have to find out about you and your pack."

"And your pack? Your mother? What about them?"

"I'll miss them, and I'm sure they'll miss me. But they don't control my life. When they find out, the best possible scenario is that we have a tenuous relationship with you. We'll be looked down on, and constantly watched. Worse case, Sam will try to use our battle experience and our numbers to fight you. Someone could die."

"So we just run away? Tuck tails and run?" Every animalistic part of me is cringing in horror at the thought of retreat and is pushing away from him. A small part of me, the human part, is tempted to run away and never look back.

"I don't want to hurt you, Erin! What happens when Sam wants me to kill you? What then? What if we were reversed?"

"You said you'd fight for me." I regret my words as soon as they leave my mouth, and I can tell Embry is hurt by them. "Embry, why do you really want to leave?"

He looks at me for a moment. "I'll fight for you, Erin. No matter what, I'll fight for us. But I don't want to. I don't want to have to try to injure or kill my brothers, and I don't want to be forced to do the same to yours."

I soften my stance, and the raging tigress inside calms some and settles down. I wrap my arms around him in a tight hug, and I feel him do the same to me. His arms hold me fast, and he breathes harshly into the side of my neck.

"When do we leave?"

His head jerks up and he looks straight into my eyes as if he's not sure he's heard me correctly. "Are you sure?"

"I would still rather talk to Sam myself, but you're right. If it comes to the worst scenario, it will be too late. Better to leave now than to wait until then when it's too late to do anything but fight. We need to leave. But I want to say good-bye first."

"It would probably be safe to call every now and then, so long as you didn't say exactly where we were."

"I suppose so. But I'd still like to see my sisters and brother one last time. And if you don't mind…I'd like to visit my grandmother's grave."

He nods his head in understanding. "I don't have a problem with that. Why don't we meet tonight at midnight? We can leave then."

"Alright. I'll be on the main path into the Makah Reservation. You'll pick me up?"

"I will. We need to leave here now, however."

I nod in agreement, and he drives me back to the reservation. Tonight is the last I'll see of any of my friends, for a while at least. I'll have to make it special. He drops me off at the rez's driveway and we kiss, a short hard kiss full of desperation, fear, and desire. I walk back to Erica's house, texting everyone in my pack to meet me there. I won't be able to tell them where I'm going, or why, but at least they'll know I'll be around.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So yeah...so they're leaving Seattle...I think. I don't know though...when I asked Erin about it she had this weird gleam in her eye...We'll see I suppose! OK, on to actual stuff that is required of me to do (yes, mothel I'm coming!) Tell me whatcha think, love ya lots, WereSam.


	9. Goodbyes Suck

**Chapter 8**

**Author's Note:**

Sorry this took me so long to get up. And no my sweet little reviewer, I have not forgotten about Erin and Embry, they've simply been forgetting to clue me in on what to write. There are lots of reasons I could give you for why I've been dragging my lazy butt on this one. For example: the first week of school… annoying members of the male population…Erin being uber secretive…blah blah blah blah blah blah blah… But since I've already given you a few, we can just go right on ahead to the story!

I think I mentioned it before, but just in case…the only thing I own in this story is Erin and everyone from the Makah rez. I also own the twitch I made with the wolves' ability to reproduce, but we'll get to that later.

Anyways, onward!

**ErPOV**

My sisters and brother sit in a circle in Erica's backyard, all of them solemn and silent. I have just informed them of the plan to leave, and while they objected, I explained it was the only way to keep the peace. What I haven't told them is the same plan I neglected to tell Embry.

"There has to be another way. You shouldn't have to leave, Erin." Jackson speaks earnestly, a look on his face I'm not sure how to interpret.

"I do have to." I look at Erica and she nods, lending me the support I need to break the news to the rest of the group. "I think I'm pregnant."

Shocks and gasps surround me at the news, and I smile as I feel a tear run down my face. Agh! Stupid hormones! I can believe that I'm preggers for no other reason than that I've cried more in the last few days than I have in my entire life.

Savannah, Leila, Brittany, Kelsey, and Jackson all stand and surround me, showering me with hugs and questions. Someone, I think it's Erica, hands me a tissue. She should have handed me the damn box.

"When are you due?" "How long have you known?" "Which came first, the love or the sex?"

Unable to determine which question is coming from what person, I'm glad when Erica manages to get them all in their seats. "Alright already! We'll do the circle, just like Grandmama taught us to when we were kids. Brittany, you have a question?"

Brittany nods and looks to me, eyeing my stomach as if trying to see if I've grown any. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

I shake my head. "I don't know yet. I just found out yesterday that I might be. Erica and I did the test in her bathroom."

Brittany nods and gestures for Savannah, seated beside her, to ask her question. "When will you know for sure?"

"I'm going to do another test as soon as we leave."

She nods as well, looking slightly unhappy about something. Lately I've noticed that she hasn't seemed as vibrant as usual. Trouble in paradise?

Leila is up next. "Have you told the father?"

I shake my head no. "He doesn't have any clue."

"Are you going to tell him?"

She is looking at me like I'm the stupidest person she's ever met. "I want to be sure when I tell him."

Leila still looks like she thinks I'm certifiable, but the limit is one question per turn, so she gestures for Kelsey to ask her question.

"So Embry_ is _the father?"

Everyone stares at Kelsey at her bluntness. She and I have been at odds with each other since I became pack leader. The stress between us only got worse when her boyfriend dumped her and later hooked up with me. I sometimes feel like I'm in the middle of a Disney TV show whenever I think of my problems with Kelsey. I get the feeling they'd love to use my life as the script of a show.

"Yes, Kelsey. Embry is the father."

She seems to finally notice everyone practically growling at her and shrugs unapologetically. Jackson opens his mouth to speak. "So the child… Erin, how are you going to give birth to that…thing?" Savannah and Brittany gasp, their eyes growing wide with appall. "Well it's true! You don't know what kind of monster a breeding between a wolf and a tiger will create. It could be any kind of evil and you're willing to just be blinded by your supposed love to that wolf!"

He stands and sneers, getting up and stomping off. His words ring in my ears and I'm not sure if it's my hormones or the baby, but I suddenly want to cry.

"He's right, you know." Kelsey speaks up after an extended silence. Hearing Kelsey agree with anything Jackson says stuns me for a moment and I stare at her in confusion. Usually the two of them fight over anything the other says, purely for the sake of arguing. She stares back at me and shrugs, saying: "You don't know what that baby will be able to do. You don't even know how much humanity it will have. How do you know it won't be completely animal? It could be completely evil for all you know. What then, Erin? Maybe you should get rid of it now."

"Get rid of it?" Erica's outrage rushes through me and joins my own, a tidal wave of blood flowing into my head and threatening to force my change.

"You can't deny that it would probably be for the best, Erica. That way we could be sure that thing couldn't hurt anyone. In case you've forgotten, it's our duty to protect the people from all evil. That includes whatever is growing in her!"

My body leaves my chair and suddenly I'm in the air, leaping for her throat. Protective maternal instinct surges through my veins as I pounce on her, in my human form, and knock her out of her chair as well, clawing at her face, throat, and arms. My legs straddle her stomach and I land a few really nice punches while she squirms helplessly beneath me, desperately trying to dodge or redirect my blows, before the rest of the girls finally remove me from her and set me down, admonishing me not to strain or stress myself. Erica and Savannah stay with me and attempt to cool me down while Leila and Brittany escort Kelsey home to see to her wounds.

Every part of me shakes with the urge to follow them and finish what I started, but some part of me hears the words of my friends and restrains my tigress, calming me and forcing me to think clearly.

Eventually they calm me enough that they leave me in Erica's room to take a short nap. I lay on the bed, unable to do anything but think. Jackson's and Kelsey's words run circles in my head, as do Embry's and Erica's. Tears slip from my eyes, silently running tracks down my cheeks and into my hair. Frustrated, I sit up and put on my shoes, climbing out of her window and walking down the narrow path to my own home. I check the windows to see who is there, and my luck is with me when I see no one in the living room or bedrooms.

I go to my bedroom window and climb in, gathering some essentials, just in case my plan goes wrong. Embry will be hugely pissed that I am planning to go see Sam before leaving, but if I can accomplish what I think I can, it will be worth his annoyance.

Packing up my underclothes and such, along with the charm bracelet my father had gotten me for my fourth birthday, I slip into some more comfortable clothes, placing Lora-Lue's dress in the pack as well as Jimmy's phone number and address. I put shoes on my feet and Embry's jacket on my shoulders and scan my room, looking for anything I might've missed. Nothing jumps out at me, so I set my pack on my bed and pull out a pen and paper, prepared to write a letter to my family, explaining my disappearance.

As I place the tip of the pen to the paper, I can't decide what to say. I sit there for a few minutes, unsure what to say to my brothers and my mother, the people who have raised me all my life. How does one explain that they do not want to be treated as an obligation any longer, and that is why they will not be coming back? How does anyone explain that?

I remember the note my father had left for my mother, the one that she had kept all her daughter's life. Perhaps leaving is a genetic trait for my family. After all, my grandfather left my grandmamma, my father left my mother and I, and now…I'm about to leave almost everyone I love, and everyone I don't.

Getting up, I step quickly to my mother's room and to her chest of clothes. I dig through the top drawer on the left, the one I had found the note in so long ago, and finally, I feel the sharp corner of folded paper prick my finger. I pull it out and walk back to my room, again sitting on my bed, not daring to move. Slowly, I open the letter, my father's bold slanted writing popping out at me. I hold it reverently and let my eyes drift over the faded sheet. A sense of warmth blankets me, and suddenly I feel like my father is back with me.

_Ooh, girl, I'm leaving you  
Yes, I'm leaving you  
I've got to go tonight  
Ooh, girl, I'm leaving you  
Yes, I'm leaving you, I've got to go  
I can't stay_

You shouldn't feel so blue  
Shouldn't feel so blue  
When I go tonight  
Baby, you shouldn't feel so blue  
Shouldn't feel so blue, when I'm gone  
I can't stay

Keep me in your mind till I  
Come back to love ya  
Keep me in your mind till I  
Come back to take you worlds away,  
to take you worlds away, baby

I sit there holding the paper for a few moments, dwelling on the events of the last few hours. My family won't know the whole truth about why I'm leaving. My pack will know, but they won't be able to tell anyone. Did my father and grandfather really have to leave? Were there reasons I don't know about for their absence in my life? My questions go unanswered in the silence of my bedroom. I tuck my father's note into a pocket of my shorts, and I quickly write out a note for Justin and my mother.

_Couldn't have given you more.  
I tried to love you like you loved me.  
Maybe for wrong reasons...maybe.  
_

_I didn't really wanna see you,  
was happy when you were leaving yeah...  
I liked how it felt when I was by myself.  
And that's the way I wanna be,  
So please, don't beg and plead,  
Just let it be._

I gotta go. I gotta leave.  
Couldn't have given you more,  
Gave you everything.  
But you should never give it all...  
'cause sometimes there's nothing left  
but bitterness and regret,  
and it just ain't worth it.

'Cause then there's the sudden change  
Out of nowhere, it seems.  
Never know I could be so mean,  
But that's just how far you pushed me.

You say it just isn't fair  
and you didn't know.  
You need to take responsibility for your own,  
'cause you're grown.  
And you known

I gotta go. I gotta leave.  
So please don't make it hard for me.  
I've gave enough, I'm tired of love,  
I gotta let it go…

Now I take the blame  
for trying to stay and work it out.  
Shoulda left before it got complicated,  
Shoulda left when there was still some happiness.

I walk downstairs and leave my letter, folded and signed, clipped to the front of the refrigerator. I go back to my room and climb out the window, walking towards the small graveyard near the edge of 'downtown'. I have about seven of the hours that I have allotted myself left to get to the Quileute rez, talk to Sam, get back, and meet Embry on time, so I want to see my grandmother's grave one last time before I leave. Stopping at a convenience store on the way, I purchase a small bouquet of her favorite wildflowers.

When I get to the site, I see a figure hunched over, sitting in front of her headstone with its head in its hands. Approaching, I see that the figure is male. More details become apparent as I slowly walk towards the man. Wearing a dark grey coat, he blends eerily into the unnatural mist surrounding the graveyard. I feel like I am walking on the set of a horror movie, and I feel shivers dancing up and down my spine.

Finally, only a few feet from him, he looks up and turns to me, and I see who he is.

"Jackson, what are you doing here?"

"I had to think. This seemed like a good place to do it."

His simple explanation makes sense to me, and I sit down beside him, nudging his arm as I do. I'm not sure if one of the girls has told him about what happened at the meeting when he left, but I don't really want to be the one to bring it up.

"Why are you leaving, Erin? Honestly. Are you sure you're in love with that…wolf?"

He says the word wolf like an insult, and I remember when, on the way back from the zoo in Michigan, how I would have said the same. I laugh, and I can tell this confuses him. I'm not sure I can answer the first question, so I skip to the less complicated of the two, hoping he won't notice.

"Of course I'm sure, Jackson. I feel like my world is complete. I know how cheesy that sounds, and I don't know how stupid you think I'm being. But hell, I'm having his child. You and I both know that couldn't happen if I weren't in love with him."

"I suppose that's true. But you don't have to leave. Our packs have existed peacefully for this long. Why do you have to leave now?"

"Because, Jackson, their tribe hasn't known about us all these years. With our exposure, they could decide that we're a threat to them. They could decide that we are part of a plan to kill them off. They could start a war, Jackson. If Embry and I leave, then they don't have to find out. They don't have to know about us."

"Damnit, Erin. That's just not fair. What if it were me? Would you send me to live in exile if I fell in love with a wolf?"

"My goddess, Jackson, you're being completely stupid right now. I'm not going into exile. I won't be alone—I'll have Embry and my child. And no one is sentencing me to anything; I'm going voluntarily."

"The point is that you're going. That damn wolf is making you leave."

"I would have left eventually anyway, Jackson."

I can tell I've caught him off guard, and truthfully I've caught myself off-guard as well. For as long as I can remember, I've known that all my family wanted was for me to settle down with a nice boy from the rez, make lots of babies, and leave my family alone with the exception of the major holiday event. Deep down, however, I suppose I've been subconsciously planning to get out of here; see the world, experience new things. I suppose having an inhuman child and being mated to a werewolf qualifies as a new experience.

Jackson's eyes hold drops of betrayal, and my heart breaks to look at them. "You had to know I couldn't stay forever, Jackson. Besides, our pack hasn't been needed for centuries; I doubt you'll suddenly need my leadership."

"You don't get it, Erin. You're leaving. And I'm stuck here in this little Podunk town. Right now, I'd give anything to be you. But what I can't understand is how you can just pick up and leave all of us. You're abandoning us, Erin. And you don't even care."

He stands, and I can tell he's going to try to walk away again, but I'm not letting him leave until we finish this conversation. I stand and jump in front of him, cutting off his path.

"Jackson, you're legally an adult. If you want to leave, go ahead. No one can stop you. Not even me."

"I know that."

"Good, because I don't want to have to explain it again. I'm not abandoning you guys." I put my hand on his shoulder and make sure he really looks at me while I speak. "I'll come back eventually; even sooner if I'm really needed. I'll have my phone and I'll be checking in often. Jackson, I'm going to miss all of you. Don't think I'd be leaving if I thought there was another way to settle this."

He nods, and I can tell at least some of what I've said has sunken in.

"Promise you won't forget us."

"I can't ever forget you all. You're my family."

In one of those unexpectedly sentimental moments that you look back on and shudder, Jackson wraps me in a very tight hug, and I do the same to him, burrowing my face into his shoulder, which happens to be at eye level.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. Take care of the girls for me? You're my beta, so I'm entrusting them to you to take care of."

"I'll do my best."

"Good. Love you, brother."

"Yeah. You too. Though don't ask me why…"

I punch him lightly in the shoulder and turn back to the headstone, setting my flowers on the top. "Good-bye Gran."

Jackson and I walk back to his car, where he gets in and drives away, after asking me if I'd like a ride somewhere. I head to the forest and check my watch. I still have six hours before I have to meet Embry. Just long enough I hope.

Stripping, I recall something Embry had told me about the vampires called the Cullens. He had told me that they had almost been called to help look for me. When he had, I'd asked for background info. He'd told me of Dr. Cullen, specialist on all things supernatural. He had fixed Jacob's broken bones a while back. He had delivered the Swan girl's baby, Jacob's imprint. Maybe he can help me with mine?

Redirecting, I shift and travel towards the other side of town, searching for the scent Embry had described for me. Finally finding it, I follow it up the road until the town is a distant memory and I'm on a well-worn path heading farther into the forest. A few miles later, the scent gets extremely strong, so much so that I'm tempted to shift back just to be able to cover my nose. But I don't know if these vampires will even help me, let alone not attack me, so I keep going, and try my best to focus on not puking.

**Author's Note:**

I'm sorry it's so short but I promise to update faster! And if I don't you all have permission to throw rotten fruit at me. K? Cool? Awesome.

So yeah…this is what happens when you fly blind…or in this case, write blind. I know where it's going, I know where it's going! …Now if only I could figure out how to get there…

_Notes from Erin's dad and Erin herself are from the songs listed below._

** I'm Leaving You by the Scorpions

** I Gotta Go, I Gotta Leave by Vivian Green

P.S. Tired of hearing from Erin? Let me know via review and I'll make someone else tell the story. Yes/No and if Yes, then who? Make sense? Good. Love you all my wonderful readers!

P.S.S. If you don't care if Erin keeps yabbering, review anyways. It gives me a very nice feeling, lol!


	10. Unexpected visitors

**Author's Note**

See, wasn't that fast? Hmmm…who's POV should we start this out with…? I know, let's use Alice! Mmkay, sounds bueno. Onward!

* * *

**Chapter 9  
****APOV**

Sitting on Esme's spectacularly white sofa in the living room with my beloved Jasper, I'm not expecting the blurred images passing in front of my eyes. I probably should have been expecting something. After all, ever since Bella became a part of our lives, nothing has been peaceful or normal, or anything resembling normal.

I suppose that seeing the blurred images themselves were not actually the surprising part. The shock is that they are blurred. I think I'm seeing a tiger running through the woods near our house. But how is that possible? And if it is, why am I seeing it at all?

Jasper of course notices the unusual stiffness of my stone cold body always accompanied by a vision. "What's wrong, Alice?"

"I had an unusual vision, that's all."

"What did you see?"

"A tiger. I think. It was very blurry."

"A tiger, Alice? Seth Clearwater said something about a tiger running around the Quileute reservation." Edward enters the room with Bella tucked into his side. They had recently returned from their honeymoon to visit Bella's father Charlie, and so had of course seen the pack as well.

"Yes, at least I think that's what it was. Should we go look for it?"

"Perhaps we should." Carlisle has joined our group assembling in the living room. "If it has come from the reservation to this side of the town, then there is a chance it will hurt one of the townspeople."

"Do we kill it?"

"I certainly have no problem with that."

"Awesome!" Emmet has entered with Rosalie trailing behind him from the garage. He of course is excited about the idea of facing up against a tiger.

Emmet, Jasper, and I leave the house, the others opting to stay busy at home. I don't have to be psychic to know how this will turn out.

**EdPOV**

With my arms wrapped around my sweet Bella, I laugh as Emmet, Jasper, and Alice leave the house; Emmet practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

I begin to walk with my Bella, headed for the stairs. I can sense her urge to check on Renesmee, and I am happy to oblige. We stroll to the stairs, fast for humans but slow for immortals, and I hear a strange and unfamiliar voice complaining in my head.

_Ugh could these guys stink less?_

My head involuntarily jerks up and I look outside through the wall of glass windows facing the north. The voice definitely came from the woods in that general vicinity. Who would be foolish enough to be wandering around our home alone? Unless it's one of the wolves. That would certainly explain why they can smell us. Quickly I run through Alice's vision, trying to discern something from the blurred figure running faster than any normal creature possibly could. A sick feeling of dread settles in my stomach as I realize that Alice, Jasper, and Emmet have just gone looking to kill a tiger that might not be a tiger at all. It could possibly be one of the pack.

I rush to the door, explaining myself to Carlisle as I run, gaining farther ahead of him with every few steps, Bella following after. I certainly hope that none of them attack before they realize that a new wolf has shifted. What other explanation could there be, after all?

A few minutes later, I hear Emmet's thoughts a few seconds away from me. I listen to him as he pounces on the animal, hitting its head and knocking it unconscious before it has a chance to defend itself. When I reach him, he is staring dumbfounded at the ground, a shocked expression contorting his features, and I glance down to see what has surprised him so.

I feel my own jaw drop as I look at the girl laying prone, naked on the dirt floor surrounded by a bed of leaves with her long hair framing her face. My Bella wraps her arm around my own, and I look to her to see her own surprise. Carlisle arrives a few seconds later; disturbed, I'm sure, at all of us for simply standing around staring at the poor defenselessly naked _child_ lying before us.

Though in my own defense, I'm only staring because she's human; not because she's naked.

At least that's what I tell myself. After all, I am still male.

Carlisle strips his jacket from his shoulders and covers her with it, lifting her in his arms and running back to the manor. The rest of us follow closely behind him, with the exception of Emmet who goes to retrieve Alice and Jasper. They are awaiting us at the mansion when we arrive, and I see Jasper smirking at Carlisle's condemnation and Emmet's admiration for the girl's nudity. I may have to mention that to Rosalie later, if only for entertainment value.

Carlisle takes her to his office to make her comfortable while the rest of us stay downstairs. I can hear almost everyone pondering over the situation, including Emmett whom I pay the most attention to as he replays the events of the last fifteen minutes or so in his mind.

So the girl being a shapeshifter is not in doubt; she had in fact been feline when Emmett had attacked. I only hope now that when she awakens, she can understand that as easily, and hopefully have a reason as well for provoking the wolves as I'm assuming she has been.

I ponder why the girl would be venturing so close to our home when she obviously knew what we are, and I find it disconcerting… unless she had a death wish. If this has all been some elaborate plan to kill herself, I'd say the girl's plan has backfired as she'll soon be waking with nothing to show for her acts but a very large bump on the top of her head and, if her thoughts from before are to be any indication, a need for noseplugs.

**EmPOV**

I'm restless, twitching; not the angry shivering usually proceeding an involuntary phase, but shaking nonetheless. My wolf side is begging me to stand and shift, to run through the trees at a breakneck pace, just for the hell of it.

My human side disagrees, knowing that to change now would be a mistake, especially knowing that the pack would catch wind of my plan the second I phased knowing how nervous I am.

Erin wouldn't change her mind, would she? Can I blame her if she does? I am asking her to leave everyone and everything she knows for the sake of keeping a secret. Is it worth it?

Of course it is! With Sam being as volatile as he has been lately, and Jake still unsure of his role as Alpha-but-not-quite-Alpha, who knows what would happen if other shapeshifters were discovered. The least possibly damaging thing that could happen would be to have another treaty drawn, which would affect our northern borders. The worst possible thing would be for the council to put shapeshifting tigresses on their extermination list.

_Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam_

"Embry are you in there? Embry, if you're inside we need you to come out, now! There are vampires at the northern border, and they aren't of the friendly neighborhood variety."

I'm up and running to the front door before he finishes speaking, and I speed through, locking it as I go. When I'm out, Quil and Jared run with me through the town until we reach a small residential street that backs out into the forest. We race through the trees and phase, attaching our shorts to our ankles, before heading to the northern borders.

I can hear Quil and Jared running slightly behind me, and Leah outpacing us by miles coming from farther back. Paul, Jake, and Sam are facing the northern border, growling and barking at the two approaching vampires. The vampires, in turn, seem not to notice, or at least not to care. They continue toward the pack at a deliberate pace, not even pausing at the sight of the giant and obviously territorial wolves. A human follows closely behind them, keeping a pace the same as her immortal comrades.

Through Paul's eyes, I can see Leah join them at the front line, crouched low and ready to spring at them at any second. They do pause at the sight of a fourth wolf, or perhaps because she is female. At any rate, it does not slow them for long and they continue to amble closer.

Only a few feet left before we can dispatch them; only a few feet left until they are officially off Makah lands. My heart shudders and skips a beat, thinking of Erin alone and unprotected. She isn't defenseless to be sure, but definitely not trained for killing bloodsuckers.

Brady, Colin, and Seth are at Emily's place, watching over Emily and Kim. Their worry pans over me, and I can feel the adrenaline pushing me even faster, rushing me to get to the crossing line.

The two leeches, one male and one female, probably a mated pair, continue to approach the wolves snapping and snarling at them.

Leah is obviously looking forward to killing them the most, seeing as she is the wolf most enthusiastically licking her chops and grinning a very wolf-like smile as she barks and growls, bearing her teeth as a sign of warning. Not that she really cares about warning them, but it is a standing order for all of us to do so. I don't really understand why, but Alpha's orders…

Paul is almost as enthusiastic as Leah, chomping at the bit like a dog on a leash, whining and pawing the ground, wanting them to hurry up so that he can sink his teeth into one of their necks and rip out the throat.

Jake and Sam merely bark and snarl, set to their duty and unwilling to hesitate or appear too eager to fight. I am within minutes of reaching them, Quil and Jared maybe a few minutes behind me when I hear Sam's voice in my head.

_Quil, I want you to patrol the rest of the border; make sure there aren't anymore coming in. If you see anything or smell anything, let us know. Take Seth with you; the two of you can cover more ground that way. I'd send Leah, but seeing as how she's already exposed herself… _We all hear the censure in his voice, even as Leah lets out another bark and swishes her tail angrily. Her every muscle is tensed and ready to spring.

_Embry and Jared, stay hidden in the trees. A show of force is important, but we don't want to show them all of our power yet. With these wimpy leeches, it could mean they run North and we don't get the chance to kill them._ I hear Paul let out a very high pitched whine at that, and the human girl looks at him closely, still walking directly to him. Suddenly, my world narrows, and I stare at her, perplexed. I realize that I am still looking at her through Paul's eyes, and I glance at her from Sam's perspective. Nope, no world-narrowing conflicts going on there. So…did Paul just imprint on the girl?

I arrive at the clearing, staying hidden by a conveniently planted bush, I see for myself the three figures coming out of the fog, as though from some creepy mystical dream. The woman to the far right looks above us all, somewhere in the trees.

_This complicates things a bit._

Jared and I pace back and forth in short circles, hidden from view by the tall brush. The leeches stop just at the boundary line, amazing because they couldn't possibly know where it is. They stand there and stare at us, making great statue impersonations. For minutes they refuse to so much as twitch, and my nerves, already electrified, now stand up and shout at me, urging me to do _something_.

The male positions himself in front of the females, looking over the four wolves in sight and smirking. Finally, just when I'm about to break, the man starts to converse with the woman on his right.

"Vat do dey feed the vildlife here in the peninsula, eh Gretchen?"

"I am not sure, but I tink they vould make great pets, no?"

"I tink dey might. Should vee try to capture von of dem? It vould of course need to be housebroken."

"That vould be von-der-ful! Could I have de small grey one dere? It looks so charming."

_Charming? Just try to pet me, and I'll damn well show you 'charming'._

_Calm down, Leah._

"Of course, my dear. And you Staci? Vould you like a pet?"

I see her eyes connect with Paul's for just a second, before she looks away and glances at the man to her right.

"No, Vlad. I don't want a pet. If you don't mind, I think I'll sit over here while you and Sweetie play roundup."

At least Paul's imprint isn't into slavery. That's something, right?

I can almost hear Jake rolling his eyes.

Her accent is different from the other two. While their accents sound European and leave me thinking of that Dracula movie with Hugh Jackson, hers reminds me of old John Wayne movies.

Sam chokes on a bark, an image of the Gretchen woman with wings playing the redhead from the movie dancing around in his head.

The male, Vlad, turns his attention to Sam and smiles evilly. "I tink I vant dat von der."

"Excellent…May ve keel dem now?" The redhead asks her question in an unnaturally high pitched voice, gesturing to Paul and Jake.

"Absolutely my dear. You keel de von standing closest to your pet, and I vill kill de scruffy von. Alright, Sveetie?" I cringe at his words, waiting for Sam to give the order to kill them.

_Alright, here's the deal. Jared, when they attack, I want you to go after the female with Leah. Paul, go guard your imprint; make sure she doesn't escape. Embry help Paul. Whatever you do guys, don't get killed._

Everyone agrees, and just in time because the two leeches jump suddenly, crossing the border, and with it their only chance of escape. Stupid leeches.

I jump to follow orders, helping Paul keep the one woman cornered by a tree. She seems unconcerned, watching her friends being torn to pieces by the same wolves now keeping her in place.

When the vamps are sufficiently torn to bits, Jared shifts back to human. When he does, the remaining vamp lover finally gains some interest. When he lights the remains of the two leeches on fire with the lighter he keeps in his pocket she gains some fear in her eyes.

Normally, I would relish her obvious sudden comprehension, but all I seem to be able to focus on is Paul's unsurity about how to proceed.

Jared finally puts some shorts on, much to all of our relief (especially Paul's). He turns to the last girl and says: "So you're name is Staci?"

"Yes." Her voice like melted honey, I watch her eyes shift and her tongue dart out to lick her lips as she glances at all of us wolves, narrowing her eyes on Paul and myself.

"Let me just say, you are probably the luckiest wannabe bloodsucker to ever walk the Earth."

"If you're refferin to yer performance of a few minutes ago, I certainly don't think that would qualify to make me the luckiest anythin. I've seen better."

Jared blushes bright red, and Jake laughs in his wolf's body, sounding as though he's choking to death. I would be worried if I couldn't hear his huge guffaws in my head as well. Staci apparently understands that he finds her amusing, because she graces him with a smile, and her ethereal beauty enchants me for a second, before I shake it off. Damn, if I didn't know Erin…

_I'll be sure to let her know you said that, Embry. _

Something drifts up to my nose, probably dust particles, and I shut my eyes, trying to breathe through my mouth instead of my nose. Too late, I sneeze, saliva shooting from my snout and spraying Staci with dog snot. Leah cracks up at this, and Staci does not look amused.

"I was referring to the fact that as of this second in time, you are not going to die. Congratulations."

Her eyes confused, she tilts her head as if to question him, but he's already stripped his pants and returned to wolf form.

_Jared, watch your smart mouth._

_Yeah, boss._

_Paul, phase with me. Embry and Jake, guard her on the way back to my house. Leah and Jared, go run the perimeter; double check Seth and Quil's line then meet up at my house with them. Everybody understand?_

Nods of agreement bob up and down the disconfigured circle we are standing in, and Leah and Jared dart off into the trees while Sam and Paul transform to speak with Staci. Jared and I move in close to guard her, and Sam interrogates her. Good to know someone has a plan I suppose…

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-three years."

How long have you been staying with the vampires?

"Staying with them? I suppose that's one way to consider it. I've been their prisoner for the past two months."

Paul simply stands and stares at her, practically drooling all over himself. Maybe he should have stayed a wolf so that it would at least look normal.

For her part, Staci's eyes return to him after every question, only leaving his body when she gives a monosyllabic answer.

* * *

**Author's Note:** For all of you peeps who are sticklers to sticking to what actually happened in the story- yes, I'm aware that Paul has actually already imprinted on Rachel. I get that. Moving on... Please review and please tell me what you did/did not like so that I know if I need to work on something. Good news? I'm already typing up chappy 10 so check back in a week or two for it! Also, add Erin Kerzaih on Facebook (you know you want to!)

**= - )**


	11. Soury Goodness

**Author's Note**

I'm so sorry it took this long to update (and no, I have no idea who exactly I'm apologizing to...) so I hope whoever is wasting their time reading this blurb forgives me for taking extraordinarily long on this chapter. It was strangely har to write this one. You wouldn't think it would be, but I kept thinking about what should come after. I finally bribed myself with putting some sour-y goodness at the end of this chapter (if ya know what i mean...*wink wink*) SO sit back, relax, and pour out the popcorn. So yeah... Enjoy!

By the way...about the title, I couldn't think of anything creatvie, so in order to avoid calling it , I decided to give it it's current name. For thoseof you who noticed, bravo! For those of you who didn't...kuddos on your awesome observational skillz. (Please note the sarcasm. Thank you for noticing. Your notice has been noted. XD)

**Chapter 10**

**ErPOV**

I open my eyes and find myself in a strange room, surrounded by books. I'm lying on a cold, hard surface, cool air blowing on me from a fan set in the corner. I attempt to sit up, only to discover how futile the action is when my stomach begins to protest. I place my hands on the mattress on either side of my body, pushing down in an attempt to regain my vertical position. Finally, I struggle into a semi-stable position, propping my arms behind me for support.

I press my panting lips together, inhaling deeply through my nose. I realize my mistake as a saccharine odor assaults my senses, choking my lungs and wracking my body with coughs. After a short time it subsides, leaving my nose burning and my eyes watering.

A cursory glance at my surroundings reveals little. I am obviously in someone's office made into a sort of makeshift operating room. Books grace the deep mahogany shelves on three sides of the walls, climbing them like vines, their obviously well-loved and often used covers clear of dust. The table I lay on is probably someone's desk covered with a large plastic tablecloth; it's big enough for two of me. The carpets are a rich burgundy, the dye like stained blood.

The door opens and a man enters the room. He looks to be in his early twenties with white blonde hair and a smooth, pale complexion. His scent is strong, the sickly-sweet odor causing my eyes to water and my throat to burn.

"Hello, child. I'm glad you're finally awake. Now, let's have a look at that bump on your head."

Two more people enter the room and walk toward me, their steps graceful and unhurried, yet full of purpose. Realizing with dawning horror that I have found the vampire coven, I scoot backwards, ignoring the pain it causes me. The vamps stop in their tracks, glancing from each other, to me, and back to the vamp in the doctor's coat and sweater vest.

_Sweater vest? You'd think a vampire would be a little more with the times…_

The one to my right, about six feet tall with shaggy honey blond hair and piercing copper eyes, grimaces at me slightly, but refuses to say anything. The vamp to my right is also tall, with dark black cropped hair and muscles galore. His pale complexion brings out the color in both his eyes- the same shade as the others'- and in his hair in vivid contrast. He looks shameful and slightly guilty, almost like the look my kid cousin gets when his mother catches him stealing from her cookie jars on Christmas.

"Perhaps I should explain where you are. No doubt you are uncertain and have many questions. In fact, so do we."

The doc smiles at me reassuringly, and the two leeches at his sides retreat to the door, standing just inside the room.

"Fine. Explain."

The last thing I remember before waking up in this study is spotting a glistening white house with walls of windows overlooking the forest before a disturbing pain in the back of my head caused everything in sight to turn black. I probably phased back after that. Which means either the vamps don't know, and so they are wondering who I am and what to do with me, or they know and they have similar questions with different motivations.

"I am aware that you know of our, er…nature. Is that correct?"

"You mean the part where you drink the blood of Bambi and Simba and their little friends?"

He smiles as though he is amused by my jab. "Yes, that. And we are aware of your feline…preoccupations. Emmet here mistook you for an actual tigress and so he attacked you. Thankfully my son, Edward, was able to prevent him from doing any further damage until he noticed your shifting back to human. I brought you back here to examine your injury. By the way, I am Carlisle Cullen."

"Right. Thanks I suppose. Not to be rude or anything…" Like hell… "…but could you open a window in here?"

Carlisle's amused face softens and he gestures to the vamp with the pained expression and the curly locks. He immediately moves to open a window and then, repositioning the fan in the corner, aims it directly at me so that it blows out the window.

"What is your name?"

I hesitate to respond- after all, what do I know about these leeches? But then I remember my primary reason for coming here. There has to be trust somewhere, right?

"My name is Erin."

Still…what if these vamps tell the wolves about my baby? What if they tell the wolves about me? They were probably helping the wolves look for me. Shit. Maybe I should have thought this through a bit more.

"Jasper, Emmet…perhaps you should wait downstairs." The vamps look to Carlisle, nod, and leave. I send Carlisle a relieved glance, and he looks at me with understanding. I realize that he had figured out how uncomfortable they made me. Not that I was being very subtle, but it is a nice gesture.

A dialogue begins in my head, a good angel and a bad, arguing over whether or not to take the opportunity to ask for help from the leeches. One side arguing the affirmative, the other arguing the negative, and then facing off and switching sides.

I am saved from my own personal argument within when Carlisle moves closer to me, disrupting the air and bringing with him that awful stench. He holds his arms up in front of himself, palms away from his chest and facing me. He makes no sudden movements, but that doesn't stop me from cringing away from him and backing toward the window. I don't think this building has more than two stories, at least it didn't look that way in my memory, and a two story fall wouldn't kill me. Though come to think of it, it might injure me enough to make it almost easy for the vamps to catch me if they wanted.

I halt my retreat, glancing around the room for other means of escape and for weapons. The closest thing I can see are two crossed swords mounted on the far wall to my left near the fan. A large glass paperweight sits on the window sill, its size substantial and, judging by the glistening facets refracting light in an almost disco-ball like pattern, pure crystal. It will do nicely as a first line of defense if any of these vamps are planning something. Man, I really wish I'd thought this through a bit more before just running over. Embry's gonna kill me—that is if the leeches don't do it first.

Carlisle is almost within touching distance now and he takes two more steps, shifting his weight slowly with superhuman grace foreshadowing of his lethal skills as a predator.

_Damn, why did these stupid vamps have to be so damned sexy? If I wasn't in love with Embry…_

Shaking my head slightly, I refocus on the words Carlisle is saying to me. "I just need to examine the bump on the back of your head—to make sure you weren't seriously injured. Then I'm afraid I'll have to ask you a few questions.

I nod my head, assenting permission for him to go ahead with his…examination. The word brings to mind sterile rooms, cold tables, stern and unforgiving faces, and sharp needles stabbing through flesh and bone, stealing marrow and blood for 'research'. Images of my grandmother's slow death wasting away at the hospital where they'd taken samples of every part of her for testing, still unable to come to a conclusive result to find what was killing her, dance behind my eyelids as I close them, awash in painful memories. In the end, it had taken her death for them to realize it had been not one previously unknown wasting disease but two well known and in fact common diseases that had blended together creating odd symptoms and an accelerated decomposition rate. In essence, my grandmother had been eaten alive by two diseases that, ironically, had extremely high recovery rates.

Dr. Cullen's cold touch brings back my awareness of the moment, and I feel him gently probe my head with his fingers, my muscles tightening without my permission, before his soothing touch finally has the desired effect.

When he is satisfied that I have not suffered any permanent damage at the hands of his son, he steps back and strips off his gloves, tossing them neatly into a disposal bin I had not previously noted.

"So, Erin, what were you doing running through the woods near our home, hmmm? Since you already knew of our predispositions towards drinking blood, I can't bring myself to believe your being here is an accident."

"Not entirely, no. I came here because I needed to ask for your help." The argument in my head ceasing, my impending headache recedes and I find myself able to focus on planning how much to tell Carlisle, and what to tell Embry when I see him later tonight.

"By all means then, what is it you need my help with?"

He sits in a chair that he pulls up next to my makeshift bed and leans back, looking poised and composed. Somehow though, I get the sense that he is also ready to jump at a moment's notice should the need arrive.

"Before I tell you, I need to know that whatever I tell you can be kept secret. I need to be sure that certain…people won't find out about what I share with you. Can you promise me that?"

Giving me a puzzled look, Carlisle waits what seems to me to be a long time before shaking his head. A disappointed air washes over me and I realize how much I had been counting on his help. About to ask that he at least keep my visit a secret, I close my mouth when he starts to speak.

"My son, Edward…he is a mind reader. No matter how much I tried to keep your secret, whatever it is, he would know, eventually. I would trust him not to tell anyone else, but because it is yours and not mine, I cannot guarantee that no one else will learn of your secret."

I consider his words, knowing for a fact that his son really is a mind reader. The desperate girl inside of me wins over the fiercely protective tigress, and I take a deep breath, willing away the butterflies in my stomach.

"As long as he tells no one, there is something I need your help with. And I think that after I tell you, you will be very interested as well."

His countenance is still confused, but he nods and stays silent, waiting for me to continue.

"You already know that I am a shape shifter, and you have probably guessed that I am not Quileute. I am part of a tiger pack in the Makah tribe, a pack whose existence has managed to stay a secret until me. Our phasing abilities are similar to those of the wolves you already know, but our ability to reproduce is different."

Dr. Cullen still looks intrigued, though not as battle-ready as before. "Our powers were granted to us by a goddess worshiped by our people. Because of her, we are only able to have children after falling in love and the…er…usual things that accompany tigers having cubs."

Dr. Cullen smiles knowingly, holding up one hand, palm up, as if he were a student with a question and I the teacher. "I do find all of this intriguing, but I think I am failing to understand why it is you need my help if you already know all of this."

"Look, I know all of this theoretically. And I think…I think I may be pregnant. But I don't know. And the doc at the rez…well he doesn't know any of this. And our wise woman…my grandmother…she's dead, and I'm not sure what to do. But if I'm pregnant, which should be a good thing except everything would be so much easier if I wasn't, then everything will be even worse because Embry's the father and he's a werewolf and I'm a tigress and what's our baby gonna be? And how will our genes effect the baby's? Because tigers only pass the gene once and it's not always the firstborn but the point is I can't tell the regular docs because I mean they'd have me committed and they'd take my baby or something and I really am not having great feelings about coming here to talk to you because I mean you're supposed to be a bad guy but you helped the Swan chick with her baby so I just I don't know I just…"

Dr. Cullen has gotten up in the middle of my rant and come to stand in front of me, hugging my body close and rocking me lightly. As I trail off he leans back and I notice the shoulder of his shirt is wet. Running my hands over my face I feel the tears I had not noticed before.

_Gah these stupid tears! Go away!_

I cover my face with my hands and wipe my eyes, absently brushing my hair out of my face. When I look up, Dr. Cullen is again studying me, and I look away, embarrassed. "I guess this doesn't exactly give you the greatest impression of me, huh?" I throw up my hands in gesture, and his face splits into a smile. Again I notice the beauty of his face and the strength of his arms. _Damn, Erin, get it together._

"Let me get all of this straight. You want me to be your obstetrician?" I nod my head numbly; almost afraid to hope that maybe he'll help me. "And you're afraid of complications to your already unsure pregnancy because of the combination of your tiger genes and Embry's wolf's genes?" Again I nod, somewhat relieved that he had gleaned that much from my rambling of before.

"Then I will try to do what I can, but I will have to do some tests first, just to see what exactly we're looking at." Elated I jump up and hug him tightly, feeling the vibrations of his chest laughing against mine, and fighting the urge to jump up and down and scream with joy.

He extricates himself from my grip and walks to a shelf, pulling out medical supplies.

A couple of hours later, finished with tests, Dr. Cullen releases me from his office with his phone number and the reminder to call frequently whether or not any new news arrives, and to take plenty of extra precautions for my safety. One last thing before I leave, the assurance that yes, I'm pregnant. I can already tell she's going to be beautiful.

**EmPOV**

After taking Staci back to Sam's house, under strict guard of course, the boys had separated into groups, Leah and Jared running patrol, Quil, Seth, and Jake gossiping like little girls about Paul and his new imprint while Paul and Sam questioned the girl about her background and her reason for being in the Olympic peninsula.

Of course, after the adrenaline from the threat of vampires wears off, my brain immediately kicks back into overdrive thinking about Erin and things I have no business thinking about in front of the others. Then again, none of them are really paying any attention to me, but I don't want to take the risk. I phase back and walk on two legs toward my house and the approaching sunset.

My mind drifts as I walk, ambling in ever widening circles around my Erin and our future together. Remembering last night, I can feel blood start to rush through my veins, and, amazingly, I feel a blush come to my cheeks. I find myself looking forward to tonight, for the chance to love her body again.

I arrive at my house, slightly sweaty and very aroused, entering my room without thinking to look around. I stride to my closet, stripping off the sweats I'd borrowed from Sam earlier.

"Oh very sexy. Do that again, but this time…do it slower."

Whirling around to face the speaker, I smile at Erin sitting on my bed staring at me with a smirk. Her arrogant persona is betrayed by the greedy glance she gives my chest and abs and the line of hair trailing from said to chest and abs to the fuzz placed directly above my erection.

"And just why should I do that instead of calling the cops to come and arrest you for intruding into my house?" I ask her teasingly.

"Because," she says standing, "I'll make it worth your while." Sidling up closer to me, she twirls her finger in a circular motion. I do as she says, simultaneously asking:

"How so?"

As I complete my circle, I look back at Erin to see her gripping the hem of her shirt and grinning wickedly. _Hot damn, if I never see another woman alive, I don't think I'll mind…_

Ever so slowly, Erin slides the fabric along the skin of her flat tummy until it bunches under her breasts. She pulls her arms under the shirt, slipping around behind to unhook her bra. In one swift motion, her shirt flies above her head and her bra slips from her shoulders, leaving her bare from the waist up.

Crooking my eyebrow, I stare, waiting to see if she really thinks her breasts will be enough to make me put my clothes back on, only to have to take them off again—her breasts are fabulous actually, and I'd do a lot just to see them, but I'm hoping for a few special privileges.

Erin doesn't disappoint. She flicks open the button on her shorts, sending the zipper down with another flick of her wrist. Hooking her thumbs in her pants, I watch her slide them down her long, athletic legs, wishing I were her shorts just for the chance to do the same. Glancing back up, I watch her kick the shorts away and reach for the damp silk of her deep blue thong.

_Erin owns a thong?_

The thought enters my head and scatters away again as I pay attention to her actions once more. She turns around and bends over, hooking her fingers in the scrap of fabric. Shaking her ass in front of me, she pulls down, baring first her ass, then her pussy, already slick with her arousal. Unwilling to sit back and watch any longer, I step forward and grab her by the hips, jerking her toward my cock. She giggles and reaches forward to grip the mattress, pushing her hips back to brush against the erection reaching for her with one intention.

I rub the head against her folds, trying to get at least a little foreplay in so that she doesn't think I'm trying to be selfish, but she growls and stands to her full height, looking up and back at me with a glare. "I swear, Embry, if you don't fuck me right this minute, I'll…" But I'll never know what she was going to say, and I probably never will.

I push her forward again and she lands on her outstretched arms. In the same motion, I thrust my hips forward, entering her in one quick push. I see her hands clench around my sheets, and I grip her hips harder, moving in and out of the tight grip of her hot, pink little pussy. Her moans wrap around me, smothering me in pleasure. "Oh yessss…please…oh yeah fuck…me…just…like…THAT! Ooooooooh!"

My thrusts become even more uncontrolled, and before I'm aware that I'm not actually in control of my muscles anymore, merely mindless with pleasure, I'm leaning forward, practically mounting her, squeezing her breasts and biting her shoulder, leaving bright swollen teeth marks in her tanned golden skin. Her moans escalate to screams, and I feel her clench spastically around me, almost causing me to automatically come.

"Please baby, oh fuckkk please babyyyyy yessss…shiiiiiittttt…cum, baby…cum for me…oh fuckk Embry!"

Switching minute angles, I push into her again at the angle I know she likes the best, the one that she once told me could make her come automatically. Gleefully, she does and I continue to pound into her roughly at just the spot, forcing her to endure the pleasure while I reach for my own release. A while later, we both collapse on the mattress, spent and satisfied for the moment.

"Well, and to think I only came by to ask if you'd smelled the vampires yet…Though I think this was much nicer."

I chuckle and nod my head, nuzzling between her breasts and sliding my thigh between both of hers, trying to get as close as possible. Her hands curl into my hair and I listen as both her heart rate and her breathing slow into the peaceful rest of sleep. Not long after, I feel myself drifting as well, and I hug her to me one last time before relaxing everything and surrendering to slumber.

**Author's Note:**

So...what'd ya think? Pleae tell me, and I promise to update quicker...if not...if not I'll just spend the next few weeks wondering whether I should just stop writing and go die (as I am wont to do) so you should probaby review for the sake of your entertainment and my life/sanity...or, I should say, what's left of my sanity.


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